Play It My Way
by Pandora147
Summary: Troy battles with himself, his perfectionist tendencies threatening to engulf him as he embarks upon the quest to achieve his goals. Troy centric; TxG; M for explicit language, drug/sexual references
1. Such A Scary Place

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**Summary: Troy battles with himself, his perfectionist tendencies threatening to engulf him as he embarks upon the quest to achieve his goals. Troy centric; TxG; M for explicit language, drug/sexual references**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

This is a follow up to **Here With You**; however **I don't believe that reading Here With You is completely necessary to appreciate this story**.

**The nutshell**. It's after HSM, before HSM2. It's after Twinkle Towne. Troy is in the New Mexico state basketball team. Troy and Gabriella are dating. If haven't read HWY but are also the kind of person who just reads and doesn't need to understand every little bit of the context, then go ahead and just read this story.

On the other hand, for some of you, you may find the following tools within my profile interesting:

1. There is a slightly more comprehensive nutshell to Here With You, written specifically in the context of what is fumdamentally important to understand for Play It My Way.

2. I have also included a bit of a ramble about my opinion in relation to how this story sits within the canon, and about why I wanted to explore the issues that I'm exploring to help justify the canon. Because if I didn't get it all out then you would wind up with more crazy author's notes like in HWY. I thought if I just got all of my justifications out in one big ramble, then maybe I can save you the grief of my random commentary haha. If you are reading and are having issues with characterisation and not understanding how this plot falls within the larger scheme of HSM and HSM2, go read my thoughts before you criticise. If you're still puzzled, let me know. I am more than happy to discuss my thought processes and opinions.

3. I had taken down the more detailed outline of Here With You temporarily so I could update it. But it's back up now, temporarily. I will take it down again, I can't stand my profile being eight million pages long. Do me a favour – if you haven't read Here With You and wind up on this page and then wind up reading the lengthy outline of Here With You so you can read this story – can you review and let me know that this tool has been useful. If I think that the outline is actually something people have used then I will leave it there longer. This outline is still really brief – HWY is like 130000 words long. No summary gives justice to the intricacy and detail that I have included.

**YES THERE IS TROYELLA**. Hence putting in the TxG in the summary. But it is Troy centric. But in a Troy centric story where he is dating Gabriella and he has strong feelings for Gabriella– by default, **THERE WILL BE TROYELLA**.

This is a bit darker and more mature than Here With You. There will be some fluff (more so in later chapters) but there will be less fluff than Here With You. The pace is quicker, hence there is less opportunity to just randomly add fluff.

**Anyway. Enough talking about the story and I'll just let you read, shall I?**

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART ONE – SUCH A SCARY PLACE**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Troy Bolton sat in his Intermediate Acting class – more commonly referred to as 'drama' – gazing longingly at the clock on the wall. There were just eighteen minutes and ten seconds until the final bell of the day.

Eighteen minutes and nine seconds.

Eighteen minutes and eight seconds.

Eighteen minutes and seven seconds.

Eighteen minutes and six seconds.

He stifled a yawn for what seemed like the eighty seventh time since arriving in the class. The yawns weren't a response to the content being droned on about by the ever theatrical Miss Darbus – although certainly, Troy didn't find Hamlet particularly enthralling. Rather, it was a response to the sleep deprivation he was currently experiencing.

He felt a blunt object poke against his shoulder blade from behind. He swivelled around to see Chad holding a small folded piece of paper, his name labelled clearly on front, placing it on the front of his desk. Troy snatched it when Miss Darbus was facing the other direction.

_What time does your meeting with your geography project group end? Do you want to walk home with me and Tay after our decathlon meeting? We finish at 5:30._

_Gabi xo_

**You in your usual room? I'll come meet you there**

**- Troy**

Troy quickly turned around in his seat again to place the reply on Chad's desk, to be passed behind Chad to Taylor, back to Jason and then across to Gabriella. He turned back to the front momentarily and then glanced over his shoulder to check that Gabriella had received the note. She caught his eye, giving him a small smile and a nod.

"Mr Bolton, seeing as you look so enthralled to be here, perhaps you would like to volunteer to identify the themes of Hamlet?" Miss Darbus suggested.

Troy cleared his throat. "Uh… no thanks, I'll be right."

The class tittered at Troy's response.

Miss Darbus narrowed her eyes. "That was not a question Mr Bolton, it was a request."

"Sucker," Chad said under his breath with a laugh.

"Mr Danforth, I take it you are volunteering to assist Mr Bolton? Either one of you? The themes of Hamlet?

"Love," Chad quickly proclaimed, a smug smile on his face.

He really didn't know what the themes of Hamlet were, he wasn't even particularly sure what a 'theme' meant. However love seemed like a safe option.

"Uh… okay. And?" Miss Darbus prompted.

"Insanity. Revenge. Incest. Corruption," Troy supplied, surprised at his own knowledge of the material.

Miss Darbus nodded curtly. "Very good."

"Dude, you've read it?" Chad's hissed whisper came from behind.

Troy shrugged. "Yeah."

In fact, Troy had been up until two the night before reading it. He'd been up until at least two every night for the last week, since the closing night of Twinkle Towne. Even on Saturday night in Rio Rancho, where he had spent the weekend training with the state basketball squad, he'd stayed up to study.

So much for high school years being carefree and filled with memories of friendship. Those days were gone. Troy's life had become a 9-5 grind; that was really a 5 – 2 grind. Every morning for almost a month, Troy (the notoriously lazy late sleeper that he was) had dragged himself out of bed at 5 in the morning to go for a run and do some weights training. His hours at school didn't provide a mechanism to unwind, instead they had become a monotonous drag. Six months ago, he would perk up the days by making paper fans with Zeke in history, or tickling Jason with a feather when he fell asleep during Geography.

"The ability to interpret and comprehend Shakespeare is a promising indicator of your performance in the verbal element of your ACT exams in senior year," Miss Darbus's voice droned throughout the classroom.

Senior year.

ACT exams.

Grade Point Average.

College admissions.

These were words which were being used frequently throughout each of Troy's classes as they approached the end of junior year. It didn't help that Jack Bolton would covertly leave open web pages about college scholarships on the Bolton family computer. Troy was very aware that a basketball scholarship was going to be dependent upon their season in senior year. He was also very aware that being good at basketball alone wasn't going to be enough, that a decent GPA would also be desired. He understood with perfect clarity that dedicating the next few months of his life towards improving his GPA could be instrumental toward his entire future. Troy wanted to keep his options and doors open.

The result was that Troy actually paid attention during class. It meant that he diligently spent many of his free periods and lunch hours at the library, often allowing his girlfriend to patiently explain the difference between a positive semi definite matrix and a positive definite matrix. After training for a few hours after school, suddenly the hours that were once filled with lengthy phone conversations with Gabriella, leaving random MySpace comments and destroying villains via PS2 were now filled with History and Algebra and Chemistry and English and Geography.

With a constant focus on the long term result.

"Now. My final announcement for today is in response to a meeting of the drama club which was held today. Following the enormous success of the winter musicale, we have been inundated with enquiries and interest from students wishing to participate in our next production. I am very excited to announce that for our spring musicale, we will be performing Les Miserables. The calendar of key dates for auditions, rehearsals and performances can be located on the bulletin board – I placed it up right before coming to this class today."

……………………………………………………………………………

Troy rushed through the corridors, knowing he was late meeting Gabriella and Taylor outside the science lab after their meeting.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," Taylor remarked as Troy sprinted around the corner.

"Sorry!" Troy said, a little breathlessly. "I ran into Coach Mason on my way here from the library."

"The golf excellence coach?" Gabriella enquired.

Troy rolled his eyes and nodded. "He's been hounding me for a week. I told him I'd think about joining the team after Twinkle Towne."

"And?" Taylor asked.

"I caved. I said that I'll play for them but that I can't do it every week, that I need to be able to pick and choose which tournaments I can compete in. Since I'm not available lot of weekends for the state squad and all."

"You must be good for him to agree to those terms," Gabriella remarked.

He shrugged, and responded humbly. "I guess. I don't know. I did okay last season. Dad thinks it will look good on my college application, he was going on about versatility and stuff."

The truth was that the summer before last, he'd been out playing his first game of golf ever with his dad and a family friend; the consequence being the family friend enquiring as to how many years Troy had been playing golf. It was the first time he'd picked up a club in his life – with the exception of miniature putt putt. Of course Jack Bolton had informed the golf coach at East High of his son's natural talent, and of course this had led to Troy being recruited onto the golf team in the basketball off season. And doing rather well for himself, adding a series of trophies to his collection.

"Are you away for basketball this weekend?" Taylor asked.

"Nah. We meet up a few days before spring break and then head to Phoenix for the south western regionals together."

"We should totally hang out on Saturday!" Taylor exclaimed.

"We? Me and Troy and you and…. Say Chad?" Gabriella enquired, feigning a look of innocence when really her comment was filled with innuendo. Troy smirked at Gabriella, understanding her implication.

"Well if that is what you are suggesting, then I think that I could go along with that," Taylor said, a sly smile adorning her face.

"But I was going to ask Gabriella if we were going to make plans for Saturday night," Troy said with a bit of a pout.

"We can still do something. We'll just hang out with Tay and Chad during the day," Gabriella suggested.

"I have golf Saturday morning," Troy informed them.

"Okay, Saturday afternoon we hang out," Taylor said.

"You really want this social activity to go ahead, don't you?" Troy asked teasingly.

"Yes," Taylor said bluntly, not caring that every word she spoke was going to be passed onto Chad via Troy. "When I hang out with all of you together, you and Gabriella pair off and then I just become one of the boys with Chad and the others. I would like to get to know Chad WITHOUT Jason and Zeke as accessories."

……………………………………………………………………………

Troy hated group assignments with a fiery passion. Lots of kids would enjoy them – the principle that you would do less work and still get the same portion of a grade was the appeal. But for Troy, they had always been a pain in the ass. He didn't like relying on someone else to make sure he got a good grade, and equally didn't like being relied on. He'd always been heavily involved in the athletic extra curricular programs – with basketball, and the previous year golf, and he'd dabbled in baseball and a bit of track and field in freshman year. This meant that when kids he was allocated to work on a project with would toss around meeting times – Troy would be the pain in the group informing them 'that won't work for me, I have practice.'

And so on Wednesday lunch, Troy sat in the library, doing even more research for their project. Research that was beyond his allocated share. He was deeply immersed in one of a pile of books he had stacked up on the table in front of him, so much so that when a hand was placed on his shoulder, he jumped.

Troy turned around, seeing his friend and one of the people in his geography project team, Paula, with an amused look on her face.

"Hey there," Paula greeted him. "Sorry to startle you."

"Sup?" Troy greeted her. "Wouldn't expect to see you here at lunch time."

"I would have said the same for you last semester," she countered.

"Touché."

"More research for our geography project?' Paula enquired, observing the notes he was taking.

"Yeah. I know I haven't put a lot of work in so far. So I thought I'd pick up the slack. I know we said we wouldn't need to research this stuff but I figured that I might as well."

"Troy, you've put in more than your fair share, even amidst all of your training and stuff."

He shrugged. "I felt like I could be doing more so, I did it. Nothing better to do."

"Umm… go chill out with your mates and girlfriend?" Paula suggested.

"Chill out? What is this, 'chill out' you speak of?"

"Seriously. You can't have just suddenly done a complete 180 and become this whole other person."

"It's not about who I am Paula, it's about what I want."

"And what do you want?"

Troy stared his friend straight in the eye.

"I want us to get an A on this project. I want to bring up my GPA. I want the New Mexico team to take out the championships so maybe my dad will stop hassling me about scholarships and college scouts." He paused, before adding, "And I get what I want. Whatever it takes."

……………………………………………………………………………

Troy stood still under the boiling hot streams of water which ran over his body. He'd just finished an afternoon training session at the school gym, his muscles aching a little from the workout. Maybe adding the extra ten pounds to his dumbbell lunges wasn't the brightest idea. The scalding water of the shower was helping to loosen up his tense muscles. Of course, the increased testosterone from his frequent workouts and a smoking hot girlfriend were also significant contributors to his tension, although it was tension of a somewhat different sort.

It occurred to Troy that the only moments of complete peace he may have had for the last week had been in the shower following a work out. Moments of peace which he savoured. Normally though, the work out would be at home and he would be in the privacy of his own bathroom, as opposed to in a shower cubicle in a public building. Troy peered over the top of the door and glanced around. He knew he was the only one in the shower room at the time, however there were a few guys still around in the weights and cardio room. Troy was contemplating whether he should wait for added privacy or relieve the tension there and then. He was heading straight to the night golf course for a quick nine holes in preparation for the following mornings tournament. So he would be waiting a while. He grasped onto his semi with his right hand, close to making the decision.

"Troy, you in here?"

Troy dropped his member, hearing his father's voice. "Yeah?"

"You want a lift to the golf course?"

"Sure, that's be great."

"Come by my office when you're ready."

"Okay."

He sighed. Waiting for privacy it was.

……………………………………………………………………………

Troy soon emerged from the showers and into the locker room, pristine white towel sitting snugly around his waist. There was a time when he would finish a weights or cardio session and feel fulfilled and satisfied. Now, he just felt completely and utterly rooted. And not to mention, tense. Scott, one of the seniors who had been on the Wildcats basketball squad, was in the locker room.

"Hey Scott, hows it going buddy?" Troy greeted the older boy.

"Hey man, not bad, how you going? Feel like I haven't talked to you in ages!" Scott remarked.

Troy dragged his gym bag out of his locker, dumping the contents out onto the bench in the middle of the room, searching for his golfing clothes he'd brought along.

"Tell me about it. Life's pretty crazy at the moment."

"Hows the state team going?" Scott enquired.

Pretty much the entire school was well aware that the varsity captain was on the New Mexico rep team and in the process of preparing for the national high school competition.

"Yeah, pretty good. We had another training weekend in Rio Rancho on the weekend. These guys are GOOD, you've got no idea man. Make me feel like I have to run in circles just to keep up."

"You've been training a lot, haven't you? Jason said you guys have been playing two on two after school heaps."

"Nothing new there," Troy remarked. "We play two on two all the time."

"Make sure you don't burn out!" Scott advised.

Scott had formed an important part of the varsity basketball squad, but his real talents were in the track and field arena, doing rather well for himself in the higher ranks of the competition at not only a state but also a national level.

"I know my limits. Every bit of training counts."

Scott looked warily at Troy. "You look tired."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Okay, you sound like my mom."

"Well the bags under your eyes give you away."

"You know this time of year with school work man. It's shithouse."

Scott glanced covertly from side to side in the locker room. "So lots of weights training huh? Trying to build up your muscles?"

"Yeah, weights and also sprinting. Trying to work on my vertical leap, figure if I have more muscles in my legs it should improve."

"What if I told you that I have something that would help with that?" Scott asked, his voice lowering, as he rifled through a side pocket in his gym bag.

"You gonna spruik some protein shake to me man? I'm already on it, planning to go buy some on Sunday."

"No. Not a protein shake."

Scott grasped the package he was searching for, seizing it and shoving it into Troy's hand. Troy glanced down, eyes widening as he saw the little plastic zip lock bag and the tiny white pill contained within. He grasped his hand around it, hiding it from the view of anyone who should walk into the room.

"Is this a rhoid?!?!" Troy hissed, looking around wildly.

"Yeah," Scott said casually.

"Are you fucking nuts?"

Scott shrugged. "It's not a big deal Bolton."

"Yeah it is a big deal, it's a huge ass mother fucker of a big deal! You know if you were caught with these during the season…"

"I didn't take any during our basketball season," Scott said emphatically. "I know the risks, I didn't want to bring the team down. Besides. It's not like I take them all the time."

"Dude, I don't want to hear this shit," Troy said, flabbergasted.

"It's up to you. You've got it if you want it. Let me know if you want more. Anyway, I have to pick up Jacqui soon so I'll see you round."

Scott disappeared from the room, leaving Troy staring wide eyed and open mouthed at his closed fist. He opened his fist momentarily, taking a moment to stare at the packet. It was real. He wasn't dreaming – or rather, having a nightmare.

The sudden noise of talking from the hallway caused Troy to quickly shoved the item into the pocket of his jacket, which was lying on the bench in front of him.

"Troy, you just about ready?" his father's voice called from just beyond the locker room.

"Yeah, in a few minutes," Troy called back.

He swallowed, and proceeded to get ready like it was any other after day. He should have had some sort of reaction. Worry for his team mate. Excitement at the prospect of a new training method – as questionable as it may have been. A logical thought process consisting of weighing out the pros (muscles) against the cons (death, incarceration).

But Troy barely had the energy to pull on his clothes and go and play a round of golf. He didn't have the energy to do anything else. So he repressed, and pretended that it was any other day.

It may have started out like any other day.

But it wasn't any other day. Not now.

……………………………………………………………………………

**Author's Note: (Bites fingernails) How are you feeling about this? Hating me? Intrigued? Wishing I'd just write more random pointless shit and forget about trying to be more mature? Salivating because you're thinking about Troy in the shower? I can recommend a really great Link wankfic if that's what floats your boat.**


	2. Talking At Me

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART TWO – TALKING AT ME**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

**Author's Note: I was so, so, so, so, so, so, so times infinity overwhelmed and amazingly stoked that you guys liked the first chapter. Realise that in my first chapter of HWY I had two reviews to start out with… so I am just so…. Bah! You guys rock! If you also write fan fiction (particularly long winded series) then you will completely understand just how motivating and empowering the words of your readers are. If you haven't written then just…. Take my word for it when I tell you that your support is absolutely instrumental to my being able to produce quality work! I'm just really overwhelmed and humbled and... now even more nervous because I've set this HUGE precedent to try to live up to. **

**I'm still feeling really nervous about where I'm heading. I mean… I like it… but I question whether you all will like it. I really hope you continue to enjoy what lies ahead!**

**A huge shoutout to **_**emptrajan**_** for reading over PIMW and the rambling e-mails which accompany the attachments (you think I ramble in an author's note? Receive an e-mail from me, THEN you will understand that I can ramble)… Trajan is just so amazingly insightful, managing to pinpoint and comprehend the most obscure themes that I am trying to address. **

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

On Saturday afternoon, Troy skated from his house to Chad's, not bothering to acquire his bicycle from the garage for such a short journey. He almost stacked it when attempting a twisted flip – to his own annoyance given it was a trick he had mastered years earlier. After that he just gathered speed for the remainder of the journey. He didn't bother with the doorbell, he and Chad had grown beyond those formalities years earlier.

"Yo yo," Troy called as he entered the front door.

Chad appeared from the living area which was just off the front hallway, the girls appearing just from behind. Troy was in the process of kicking off his checkerboard vans.

"Hey man," Chad greeted him, the boys exchanging a short manly secret handshake. "You got new wheels for your board?"

Chad was gesturing to Troy's skateboard that was tucked under his left arm.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? I got them last weekend up at Rio Rancho, there is the sweetest skate shop up there."

Chad took the board from Troy to examine it.

"They match your shoes," Taylor remarked.

"I can't say that's WHY I picked them, but yes, it seems they do."

Troy went over to Gabriella, who was leaning against the door frame between the hallway and the living area.

"Hello you," Troy greeted her, lightly kissing her on the lips.

Troy pulled his jacket off, slinging it over his arm.

"How was golf?" Gabriella enquired.

"Another trophy for my collection. The team won, I came second. Not bad when my preparation was some putting practice after school Wednesday and then just nine holes last night," Troy commented aloofly.

"It's so unfair that athletes get trophies. All I have is a bunch of certificates for all of my work," Taylor complained.

"You got a trophy at the state decathlon final didn't you?" Chad asked.

"A TEAM trophy which goes in the trophy case at school. Which we then have to give back next year," she responded sourly.

"If we win at the south western regional final, we'll get little individual trophies like that," Gabriella said. "And also at the nationals."

"You can have my golf trophy if it means that much to you Tay. I don't really have the space for it in my room," Troy said, not particularly thinking about how conceited it sounded.

Taylor raised her eyebrows. "Oh, the poor all star athlete with so many trophies he doesn't know what to do with them all."

Troy rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Gabriella kissed Troy on the cheek. "My boyfriend, the multi talented wonder."

Troy grinned broadly at her, and bent over where he had tossed his backpack, facing away from his friends.

"Anyway, what have you lot been doing while I've been out hard at work?" Troy asked.

"Not much. We only got here about twenty minutes ago," Taylor said, referring to Gabriella and herself.

Troy opened the zipper on the top of his bag so he could stuff his jacket inside. He reached into the jacket pocket to pull out his cell phone. Troy's eyes widened, as his fingers enclosed around the tiny ziplock bag with the little pill inside.

'_Fuck'_ he mouthed.

The intention the evening before had been to destroy the damn thing before he even allowed his brain to go anywhere near it. He shoved the jacket down as deep as he could and quickly jumped up, plastering a smile on his face in the hope that his friends wouldn't have noticed his sudden change in demeanour. He headed into the kitchen, opening the Danforth refrigerator, pulling out a slice of cold left over pizza.

"Man, I'm starving. You have any Red Bull?"

"Yeah, should be bunch of cans on the bottom shelf."

"Oh, here it is. You want anything?" Troy asked the girls.

"Excuse me, Bolton, I did already offer the girls a drink and they declined. I have manners. Sometimes."

"This is new. Chad Danforth, manners? When did this happen? Did I miss the memo?" Troy enquired teasingly.

Chad narrowed his eyes and wrapped his arm around Troy's neck, Troy barely being able to set his pizza and Red Bull can onto the bench the drink. Play wrestling ensued as the girls watched on in amusement. Chad was in the process of giving Troy a noogie.

"We could slip out the door now and I don't think they'd even notice," Gabriella whispered to Taylor.

"Isn't it funny how boys go all weird about hugging, and yet right now they're practically dry humping each other," Taylor remarked.

Chad and Troy leapt apart, hearing Taylor's comment. Troy's hands immediately flew up to his tousled hair, running his fingers through the strands.

"Not cool, Tay," Chad said, dusting himself off almost as though he was wiping Troy's 'cooties' away.

"So were we gonna watch a DVD, or what?" Gabriella asked.

Troy collapsed onto the left hand side of the couch, patting the cushion next to him for Gabriella to come sit beside him. She willingly complied, allowing his arm to wrap around her shoulder and snuggled up next to him.

"We don't do this enough," Gabriella said quietly.

"What?"

"Just hang out together. It's nice."

"It is," Troy agreed, squeezing her arm gently.

……………………………………………………………………………

After the movie finished, the group remained seated in the lounge room. Gabriella was curled up with Troy in the couch in the middle, with Chad and Taylor each in an armchair on either side of the couch.

"It's about racial prejudice," Taylor observed.

Troy paused. "I'd never really thought about it, but you're right, that's exactly what being a 'mudblood' represents."

"Hermione has to work twice as hard to achieve half the amount in the eyes of the pure bloods," Taylor added.

"Is that how you feel sometimes?" Gabriella asked.

Taylor shrugged. "Mostly it doesn't affect me, but sometimes, yeah. I've had a few teachers of the years who seem to have this preconception because I'm African American that I can't be intelligent. And then they become surprised when they see that I test well."

Troy snorted. "You actually think that a teacher would have that kind of expectation, they would just expect you're some dropkick?"

"Troy you would never be able to understand where I'm coming from," Taylor said bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Coz you're a blue eyed brown haired white kid," Chad said.

"We've been friends since preschool and not once have we had a discussion about there being anything different about you and I because of the colours of our skin," Troy said.

"Coz it's not important with you and me. But, there are issues with other people," Chad said.

"Do we really want to get into this? It's kind of deep stuff for what is meant to be a relaxing Saturday afternoon," Taylor said.

"It's not like you to shy away from a deep discussion," Troy commented, narrowing his eyes.

Taylor sighed. "To be honest, I just don't want to talk about it."

"At all? Or with me here? The blue eyed brown haired white kid who clearly couldn't understand?" Troy queried.

"Don't take it personally dude," Chad said with a sigh.

"I'm not I just... it kind of sucks when you realise your best friend has this whole set of issues which he has never talked to me about," Troy said.

"It's not like it's a set of 'issues'. It's just a part of life. Just like men and women have differences at their core, just like there is a divide between people from different generations – there's a difference between people from different races," Chad said bluntly.

Gabriella glanced at Troy. "You look genuinely shocked. Like you really never thought about any of this stuff."

"I don't," Troy said honestly. "I really don't."

"Which is a part of why we're brothers. Because it doesn't matter to us," Chad said.

Troy still felt a little perturbed, and wanted to press the topic. But Taylor's arms folded across her chest body language indicated that she was feeling rather uncomfortable with the subject.

"So yes. That was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Troy remarked. "Love it every time."

"I can't wait for the next movie to come out!" Gabriella said enthusiastically, sensing Troy's conversation shifting efforts. "Daniel Radcliffe is getting hotter and hotter every movie."

"Well Emma Watson is pretty hot also," Troy shot back, poking his girlfriend in the side.

"You really go for that type?" Taylor asked Gabriella incredulously. "I wouldn't have picked Daniel to be your type."

"Blue eyed basketball captains are Gabriella's type," Chad said teasingly.

"I don't have a 'type'," Gabriella said defensively.

"Actually, I suppose you do like blue eyed boys," Taylor mused.

"You say boys, like a plural," Troy commented questioningly.

"Yeah, didn't you know about Gab and her multiple boyfriends?" Chad said with a grin.

"Who are these blue eyed boys?" Gabriella asked, emphasising the 's' in boys - and ignoring Chad's comment.

"Well, other than Daniel? When we watched Mr and Mrs Smith at my house, you said that you thought Brad Pitt is hot. And you like Josh Holloway from Lost. And..."

"Can we stop talking about my girlfriend and her crushes on other guys?" Troy said, interrupting Taylor.

Gabriella pecked Troy on the cheek softly. "You know it's only you I care about."

"Until Brad Pitt comes along and makes a better offer."

"Not even then," Gabriella declared.

Troy grinned, gazing into Gabriella's chocolate brown eyes. "I'll hold you to that."

"Okay, stop being cute, you have tonight for that," Chad groaned, throwing a pillow at Troy.

"So, what is on the cards for the two love birds this evening?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella glanced at Troy. "Knowing Troy he will have a plan in mind."

Troy grinned. "You know me so well. I was thinking we could borrow my dad's car and head up to Rio Rancho. Coach Kirkpatrick was telling me all about this sweet little spot up there that I think you would love."

Gabriella exchanged a sideline glance with Chad, which was rather obvious to Troy.

"You know what I think? I think that we should grab a quiet dinner somewhere here and then you should go home and crash," Gabriella suggested quietly.

Troy raised his eyebrows. "It's my first Saturday night free in over a month, and you don't want to do something nice and romantic?"

"I do but I would also like to have a fully functioning boyfriend with me. Seriously Troy, you look really tired. Aren't you tired?"

"You know I'm tired but that doesn't mean that I don't want to enjoy my time off with you."

"We don't need to do anything fancy to enjoy our time together," Gabriella insisted. "My mom is going to be out for dinner tonight. Why don't we just hang out at my place?"

"That's so… boring."

"We'll have privacy," she added in a breathy whisper in his ear, before kissing him softly.

Troy contemplated for a moment. The truth was that he didn't want to have to worry about going out. Gabriella sensed his relief at the notion of just having a quiet night in. With the icing on the cake being privacy.

"Okay that I can go with."

Their lips met softly in a preview of the hours of kissing they suspected would lie ahead that evening. Taylor averted her eyes away from the public display of affection, feigning sounds of disgust and muttering under her breath about 'getting a room'. But the truth was she felt a pang of jealousy.

"And you said before that you and Gabriella could have left without being noticed. I think right now you and I could leave without being noticed," Chad remarked.

"I'd notice but I wouldn't care," Troy murmured in a brief moment of separation from Gabriella.

"You're just jealous," Gabriella added, before attacking Troy's lips again with vigour.

"Jealous? If I wanted to be making out with someone, I could be making out with someone," Chad said. "Taylor, do you wanna make out?"

Taylor coughed, blushing a little. Since she and Chad had randomly made out at the movies about a month earlier, there had been no direct mention between the two of them of any feelings or attraction. There was constant flirtatious banter, but no declaration of feelings attached to that banter.

"Uh... well..."

Chad sensed her discomfort, and immediately realised that it probably wasn't the most appropriate of suggestions.

"Just kidding," he covered quickly. "You wanna play some PS2?"

"Do you have any games that aren't completely violent?" Taylor enquired.

Chad thought. "Hey Troy, did you bring back my Crash Bandicoot you borrowed?"

Troy broke away from Gabriella long enough to answer, "I think it's in my backpack, man. Have a look."

Taylor followed Chad into the hallway where Troy had tossed his bag, feeling rather uncomfortable being left alone as Troy's tongue usage became increasingly rigorous.

"I think you'll like Crash Bandicoot. It's a platform game, an oldie but a goodie I guess they'd say…" Chad proceeded to filter through the assorted items in Troy's backpack, pulling out his jacket and tossing it on the floor. Taylor spotted something which had fallen from the pocket of the jacket onto the floor, and knelt down to pick it up.

"Chad," she said quietly.

"The characters are cute which I guess is appealing to girls but…"

"Chad," Taylor repeated. "Look."

Chad looked down, seeing that Taylor was holding. She stood up, holding the little bag out between her thumb and index finger.

"Where was that?" Chad asked, trying to keep his voice steady, but his emotion seeping through.

"On the floor. It fell out of Troy's jacket when you tossed it there," Taylor replied quietly.

Chad snatched the offending item from Taylor, and stalked back into the lounge room.

Gabriella was now seated sideways in Troy's lap, her back against the arm of the couch and her arms snaked around the back of his neck. He had one hand resting on her side, the other one caressing her cheek. There was a definite fluid exchange occurring.

"Troy."

Chad's tone was a frightening mix of being vulnerable, nervous, intimidated – and yet filled with anger. Troy pulled away from his girlfriend, to see Chad standing in the doorway, the tiny little plastic bag sitting on his open palm. Gabriella's eyes were wide as she stared at the item that Chad was holding in his hand, hand covering her mouth in shock. She scrambled out of his lap, standing up. Troy also stood up, holding his palms up defensively even before being accused of anything.

"So I'm going through your bag like you told me to and I pulled out your jacket which apparently now is some sort of hiding place for items intended not to be found by others, but something fell out and dude, I've been really worried about you lately and wondering what the fuck is going on but this just goes to a place that I'd never thought you would lower to."

Chad was rambling nervously. A part of him was so angry with his mate, but the other part was just plain fucking scared. His intense, nervous stare met Troy's intense, nervous stare.

"Troy," Chad said again, his voice edging more on the side of anger. "What the fuck is this?"

"It's not what it looks like," Troy said defensively, trying to remain calm.

"Oh it's a fucking aspirin is it?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"Well… okay it is what it looks like. But, it's not mine!" Troy insisted.

"Oh. So it just magically appeared in your backpack?"

"Well it's mine in the sense that someone gave it to me and so that technically I have ownership of it. But I never wanted it, I never asked for it, I haven't taken any and I had no intention of taking it."

"So you thought you'd just hang onto it. You know, just in case," Chad said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Troy tore his eyes away from Chad, looking at his trembling girlfriend. "It's a steroid," he said calmly.

Gabriella's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Chad. You KNOW me man, like a brother. You KNOW that it's not like that. I would… I would never. Not ever. In a million years, I would never touch this shit. It's not what being an athlete is about. I know that you know that and you know that I know that."

Taylor had remained in the background as Troy and Chad had been involved in the exchange. Finally, she spoke up, her voice calm and neutral. "So why are you carrying it around with you?"

Troy threw his arms up in the air helplessly. "To be totally honest, I forgot it was there. This dude gave it to me at the locker room after I was working out in the school gym yesterday afternoon. I don't know why he gave it to me, and I kinda freaked and just shoved it in my jacket, went to play a nine hole round of dusk golf; woke up early today, went to the tournament and then I came pretty much straight here after that. I know this looks really bad, but seriously guys, I'm innocent here."

Troy turned to Gabriella, who with the exception of her one timid question, had remained silent through the whole discussion.

"I wasn't going to take it," Troy said softly, taking her hands in his. "I promise you."

"I believe you," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "I do."

Troy turned to Chad. "Do you believe me?"

Chad nodded warily. "Yeah. Although I still think you were stupid to even take it from him. In the locker room! What if your dad had walked in?"

"Believe me, I know, I know."

"You were so tired that you forgot that you had an illegal performance enhancing drug in your jacket pocket?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.

Troy narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. "Are you insinuating that I'm lying?"

"No!" Taylor said emphatically. "I might not know you as well as these two but I have known you for a long time and I believe that you aren't the sort of person who would get involved in this sort of thing. I'm questioning the fact that you are continually telling us that you are fine and coping with everything; and yet you were so spaced out that you just 'forgot' that you had a drug in your pocket. I'm questioning the fact that someone would see that you were at the point when they would offer you, the coach's son, such an item. Either this guy is completely stupid, or he could see that you were potentially vulnerable and might actually take the damn thing. And consequently, want more from him."

Troy sat back down, now in one of the arm chairs. "I am fine. Yes I'm tired and stressed and busy. I haven't lied about any of that. I think I've been pretty good with my venting and whinging and whining and using you guys as my sounding board when things are stressful. What, do you want me to just stop training or something? Pick a subject to stop studying for? You know what, come to think about it the English language isn't that important, why invest any energy into that subject?"

"Maybe you need to give yourself a break," Chad said. "Dude… I admire you for giving a shit about school and studying and stuff. But seriously… don't you think that training for four hours a day is a bit full on? Do you really think that you need to stay up all night studying for exams that are weeks and weeks away?"

Troy rubbed his eyes. "I do this Chad, you know that more than anyone. I set my mind to something and I make it happen. If I've decided that I will get A's in my final exams then I will. Whatever I have to do."

"I don't think sleep deprivation is a healthy and it's probably not helping you with your training," Gabriella said softly, perching on the arm of his chair and resting her hand on his thigh. "I get that you have dedicated yourself to so much but I think you're going about achieving your goals the wrong way. I think there are healthier ways to achieve not only the same, but even better results."

"You're the one who plays ball better when you're in a good mood, when you're relaxed and chilled. So seriously – relax and chill!" Chad said.

"What am I doing here man? That's what I was trying to do here today, just relax with some friends, before, you all started interrogating me!"

"No one is interrogating you Troy," Taylor said.

"Well it kinda feels like it, okay?"

The four friends sat in silence.

"You do believe me, don't you?" Troy asked, his tone indicating that he was still hurt by the accusation. His stare was directed at Chad.

Chad returned the intent stare, the boys making direct eye contact.

"Yeah man but you can't blame me for questioning it," Chad said quietly. "It WAS in your jacket after all."

"Go flush it. Seriously. I don't care. Search my house, my locker, whatever you like. I don't have any more."

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Taylor said dryly.

"Who gave it to you?" Chad asked.

Troy shook his head. "Don't go there man. It doesn't matter."

"Was it someone from our team?"

"Chad!" Troy said, raising his voice a little.

"It was, wasn't it?"

"It wasn't Jay, and it wasn't Zeke, so it doesn't matter. They won't be on the team next year. Let's just drop it."

"So now you're covering up for a drug dealer?" Chad asked.

"Just drop it Chad, he's obviously not gonna tell you," Taylor said quietly.

"I can't believe that you really thought that I…" Troy trailed off.

Chad's eyes averted away from Troy's. He couldn't even look at him as he spoke the following words.

"You know what man? I can't believe that I really thought it also. That scares me more than anything. It scares me, not that you had it, but that for a moment – I was able to believe that you had it because you are taking the shit. It scares me that I'm so worried about you at the moment, that I could see you going down that path."

"You've known me for over ten years and you really could see that?" Troy asked, incredulously.

"I think that being pushed into the wrong situation, anyone might see it as a viable option," Gabriella said softly.

"I'm sorry to have you so concerned but seriously guys, I'm okay. I know it seems a little… out of character… for me to suddenly give a shit about school and stuff. But I just really want to do well this semester, and I've realised that I can, that I'm not just a dumbfuck jock. But I've gotten a bit behind with some of my subjects with all the musical rehearsals and going out of town. So I've had a few late nights catching up, and spent some free periods and lunch hours in the library. Big deal! And as for training for basketball – you know why I'm working so hard for that."

"How about we just forget this ever happened?" Taylor suggested. "Let's go flush the damn thing right now and move on?"

"Sounds like a plan," Troy said quickly.

"Right, let's do it," Chad said.

You can forgive. You can accept. You can deal with it. You can move on.

But you can never forget.

……………………………………………………………………………

**Author's Note: When I sent Trajan my first chapter, without explaining anything about the future plot, the response I was given was -**"**While the pressure to do steroids and the ensuing moral dilemma would be very real in Troy's life, I strongly believe that he never would, and I suspect that you do as well."**

**I do believe that. I received some mixed feedback about that portion of the story – a few people pinpointing that they don't see it realistic that Troy would go down that path at this point in his life. I agree. But at the same time, I got the impression that - despite many of you saying you'd be ANGRY with Troy if he did it, I got the impression that you actually wanted to see this specific storyline pursued. That wasn't the purpose of that element of the plot. Sorry if anyone was looking forward to reading about a Troy f-cked up on drugs. But as I've said, I see this as slotting in before HSM2 and as many issues as I have with the HSM2 plot, I don't watch it and think 'gee, I think Troy's been on drugs'. Rather, it represents all the issues that have been raised as a result of the discovery. I hope you're all able to appreciate that. **

**Anyway… are you still with me? Please appreciate how nervous I am about this story, I had such fantastic response from the first chapter and I would really, really, really like to know that you're still with me on this.**


	3. Doubt Your Dream

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART THREE – DOUBT YOUR DREAM**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

**Author's Note: Once again, thank you so much to all of the people who took the time to review and let me know your thoughts about PIMW! Also, once again I thank **_**emptrajan**_** for the careful consideration and always well thought out analysis of my latest set of rambling concerns! **

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Maybe it was a sign of maturity.

Maybe it was just a part of growing up.

Maybe it was teenage angst.

But Troy felt like he'd spent more time over the last four months in deep reflection of his life, goals and behaviours; than he had in the 16 years prior.

The days following 'the incident' (as he thought of it in his brain) – being the confrontation after his friends discovered the steroid in his bag – were spent in polite ignorance that anything had happened. Nothing was said again about it. They all put on a façade of being determined to indeed 'forget'.

Except that Chad was now beginning to accompany Troy to the gym after school – claiming that he was offering to spot him on the bench press.

And more than once, Taylor had boldly approached Troy as he was engaged in a conversation with any member of that years' Wildcat basketball team.

Gabriella's consistent offers to study together became more frequent and more insistent.

Troy felt like he was being scrutinised. He was a bug in a jar with people keeping a constant microscopic eye on his every move.

Reflecting upon 'the incident' – Troy felt like this scrutiny was unwarranted. Like there was no need to change anything about his behaviour. They saw him as a ticking time bomb. He saw himself as being dedicated and motivated for the first time in his life.

Troy was a people pleaser though.

He would let Chad come along with him to the gym, 'helping out' by spotting him and running along side him on the next treadmill.

He would say to Taylor, "I'm gonna go over and chat with Sim, you wanna come?"

He would ask his doting girlfriend Gabriella for help with homework that he didn't really need help with.

If it kept them happy, if it kept them satisfied – that was all that mattered. The last thing that Troy needed in his life was to spend his hours worrying about people being worried about him. There was already enough to deal with.

……………………………………………………………………………

With less than a week until Troy was due to leave Albuquerque to head to Phoenix for the south western regional finals with the New Mexico team, he found himself in a last minute flurry of getting homework and assignments done. There were a few assignments due in the couple of weeks back after spring break – realistically, Troy knew that if the competition progressed as he hoped then he wouldn't have a lot of spare time to be doing school work.

Gabriella had joined him at the library one lunch hour as they each finalised a report they had due for chemistry class – with only the final touches of formatting, printing and attaching a relevant title page left to do. They walked hand in hand through the corridors to the cafeteria after going together to hand in the report at the teacher's office. Troy greeted a few randoms along the way who called out to him as they passed.

"See, handed in a day early and everything," Gabriella said happily. "I love it when I get an assignment in early."

Troy grinned, beaming at his girlfriend. "It's so adorable how you get excited about stuff like that."

They rounded the corner into the cafeteria. "You calling me a nerd or something?" Gabriella asked teasingly.

"If you're a nerd, then you're MY nerd," Troy declared, pecking her gently on the lips.

As they began to approach their group of friends from behind, Troy narrowed his eyes. Jack Bolton was standing in conversation with his friends.

"I wish I could go for one whole day at school without seeing him," Troy remarked, exhaling noisily.

"Well maybe Gabriella and I will just go there on our own!" Taylor countered, just as Troy and Gabriella reached within hearing distance of the table.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked curiously.

A series of heads turned around, seeing Gabriella and Troy's arrival.

"Uh… To the mall," Taylor said quickly. "I asked the boys if they wanted to come shopping. Which, they did not. You'll come with me, won't you?"

"Umm I guess. What are we shopping for?"

Taylor coughed. "Uh. Well…"

"Tampons!" Jason supplied.

Gabriella couldn't help but notice the withering glare that the rest of the group shot in Jason's direction. Troy on the other hand, was too busy half glaring at his father to pay any attention to the rest of his friends.

"Well Taylor, I'm not surprised the boys didn't want to come," Gabriella remarked, looking at her friend strangely. "Hi Coach Bolton!"

"Gabriella," Jack greeted her.

"Why are you here?" Troy asked his father warily.

"Well Troy, it might surprise you to learn that I work here at East High. I work, and they pay me, and then I pay for you to wear clothes and eat food."

Troy sighed. "I meant here. In the cafeteria. With my friends."

"Just letting Chad know that even though Coach Wilson is absent today, the track and field team is still meeting after school," Jack informed him.

"Thanks for letting me know Coach," Chad said.

"You're welcome. You home tonight?" Jack asked, looking at his son.

Troy nodded. "Yeah, but I might be late. I'm going to the driving range with the golf team."

"That's right. You need a lift home?"

"Nah, Chris is giving me a ride."

"Right then. See you later on, goodbye all."

Troy turned to Chad, raising his eyebrows. "That was weird, my dad coming to tell you personally about that."

Chad shrugged. "Whatever. You get the report done?"

"Yeah man."

"You going to the gym tomorrow afternoon? I was thinking I might come by."

Troy smiled. "Off the hook."

……………………………………………………………………………

The south western regional finals of the national high schools basketball competition were being held in Phoenix, Arizona, over spring break. Matches were scheduled in round robin style over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend. Following the day off on the Monday, the top teams went into a tennis draw of finals with quarters, semis and the grand final on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Arrangements were made for the boys to arrive in Arizona late the Tuesday prior to the beginning of the competition – so missing a few days of school, much to their delight. A bus was arranged to transport the team and coaches to Phoenix, given that the cost and time of flying was more than driving – as there were no direct flights and therefore they would require a stop over in either Dallas or Chicago when flying from New Mexico to Arizona. The meeting point was Coach Lang's house in Santa Fe, at 6pm on Tuesday night. The result was that they would arrive in Phoenix very late at night – but it was the most practical way to ensure the majority of the boys were able to attend school on Tuesday, only missing three days. The ones travelling from further away would have to miss Tuesday of school as well. But most of them could attend school and then make it to Coach Lang's. And they wanted to arrive by Wednesday so they'd have a few days to settle in and train.

To Troy's utmost surprise, he received a phone call on Monday night. Will Johnson, from the West High Knights in Albuquerque and a fellow member of the state squad, had called asking whether he wanted a lift up to Santa Fe. Will was driving up, picking up Bradin Spencer in Rio Rancho on the way, and leaving his car at Coach Lang's house. Troy had been planning to get his mother to drop him off in Santa Fe – instead, it became being picked up after school Tuesday by Will.

………………………………………

Tuesday afternoon became a tearful goodbye scene. Will was coming straight from West High over to East High to pick Troy up directly from school. Fortunately, Lucille had farewelled her son that morning prior to his departing for school, leaving Troy with only one crying female to deal with. Coach Bolton had quickly said his goodbyes and left Troy out the front of the school with his friends and blubbering mess of a girlfriend.

"I feel so stupid," Gabriella sniffled, her voice muffled as she was clinging to Troy and talking partially into his shoulder. "It's not like you're going to the other side of the planet. But I'm going to miss you."

Troy tenderly ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly. "I know Gabi, I'll miss you too," he replied softly.

"Should we be crying too?" Jason asked Zeke.

"Troy, you are the centre of my universe," Zeke said dramatically. "I don't know how I can last without you here with me."

"Shut up!" Gabriella whined, pulling away from Troy to slap Zeke across the arm playfully.

Chad went over and shook Troy's hand. "Good luck brother. I know you'll kick some… okay, what states are in this competition again?"

"Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California…" Taylor began to answer.

"Okay, since when did you start knowing so much about basketball competitions?" Chad asked her.

"It's elementary school geography Chad," Taylor said witheringly. "If he's in the south western regionals then these are the states in the south west."

"You left out Arizona," Gabriella said, punctuating the sentence with a loud sniffle. "You know, where the competition is. 400 miles away from here."

Troy looked over, seeing that her eyes were welling up again. The truth was that, although he knew he would miss her, he felt a little guilty for not being as upset as she was about the notion of their separation. Seeing her being upset though was enough to make him upset.

"Gabi, don't cry," Troy pleaded, pulling her in for a tight hug. "You know I don't cope well with girls crying. You do know that my phone bill is going to skyrocket because I will be calling you every single free moment that I get."

"It's like a week and a half Gabriella, you will live," Chad said, rolling his eyes.

Troy pressed his lips to Gabriella's sweetly, running his tongue along her bottom lip slightly, and after being granted access, massaging his tongue against hers. This, he would definitely miss. He became so submersed in Gabriella that he didn't hear Chad in the background making pretend vomiting noises. He didn't notice the car pull up, or Will Johnson getting out of the car and leaning against the bonnet, observing the couple from a distance with a smirk on his face.

"Any time today," Will called out in amusement.

Gabriella and Troy pulled apart, and Troy looked up to see Will had arrived.

"Oh… hey…" Troy said, feeling a little embarrassed.

He took a few steps toward Troy and his group of friends. "I'm a little early. I can uh… come back if you need more time…"

"God no, we don't want to have to keep watching this," Taylor said.

"Johnson," Chad said a little stiffly.

"Danforth," Will replied swiftly, and equally stiffly.

"Yeah… so you know the guys," Troy said a little awkwardly. "Chad, Zeke, Jason… and you might remember meeting Taylor and Gabriella at the movies. This is Will."

Gabriella sniffled, feeling a little embarrassed about crying in front of him.

"Do you want my girlfriend's phone number? She's over at West High blubbering right now. Maybe you too can support each other or something," Will joked.

"A crying girlfriends club. Sounds great," Gabriella sniffled.

"Anyway we should go," Will said. He motioned to the bags at Troy's feet. "That your stuff?"

Troy nodded, and turned back to his friends as Will put his bags into the trunk of the car. Taylor gave Troy a big hug.

"Good luck. Kick ass and all of that. I promise I'll look after Gabriella." She paused and then added quickly, "And DON'T stress yourself out!"

The boys exchanged handshakes and farewells, and then Troy turned back to Gabriella and pulled her away from the group quickly, out of earshot.

"You know I'll really miss you too," Troy said quietly, pressing his lips against hers softly. "But it's not that long." Another soft kiss. "You'll be so busy in decathlon meetings, and hanging with these guys having a blast, that I'll be back before you know it." A third soft kiss.

"Taylor was right. Don't… don't work too hard. Don't get too stressed out and… and don't let anything that this Ian Jackson guy has to say affect you."

Since the formation of the squad a couple of months earlier, Troy had experienced continual problems with an individual on the team, Jackson, as well as the two guys who had adopted Jackson as their ringleader. The feud between the boys started out with Jackson teasing Troy about being a part of the East High winter musicale. The first training weekend had been especially rough, with the majority of the team struggling to comprehend that this junior (the rest of the team were all in their senior year of high school) who enjoyed singing and dancing in his spare time, was someone they would want around in their team. Troy had fleetingly considered quitting the team as a result of the bullying and ridicule that he had faced. It was Gabriella and only Gabriella who Troy had confided in as to just how hurt he had been, just how much he had hated the experience.

Gradually, the majority of the team were able to see that Troy was an awesome basketball player, and in general a decent guy. Troy had forged friendships with a few of the guys in the squad. However the feud with Jackson and his crew remained. It wasn't as vocal – without the support of the entire team behind him, Jackson wasn't as willing to let his hatred of Troy be known. Additionally, they were under the scrutiny of the coach.

Troy cupped Gabriella's cheek with his hand, caressing her chin with his thumb. "I know you guys are worried after… after what happened…" He was of course referring to Chad uncovering the pill in Troy's jacket, and the subsequent confrontation. "But I really, truly am fine. I've been telling you the truth about every thing that's been happening with the team. Jackson has laid off me a bit, I've got most of the other guys on my side."

Gabriella nodded. "I know… and I know we've been a bit weird since… since what happened."

"A **bit** weird?"

"Okay, a **lot** weird," she admitted, rolling her eyes. "I just worry Troy… you mean so much to me, you know? When you worry, I worry… when you stress, I stress… when you hurt, I hurt."

"And that goes both ways," Troy said gently, bringing his forehead to meet hers. "So when you're stressing about me being stressed – it's just stressing me out more. It's like a vicious cycle."

"Hurry up with your girlfriend Bolton, I don't want to hit peak hour traffic!" Will called out.

Troy glanced up, glaring at his teammate, and held a finger up as if to say 'one minute'. He then turned back to Gabriella.

"Do me a favour and tell Chad that he can lay off also," he asked, with a slight smile.

"Duly noted," Gabriella said, and added regretfully. "You'd better go."

"Not without one last kiss," Troy protested teasingly, lingering just shy of her lips.

"Well that goes without saying," Gabriella replied with a smile, and closed the gap between them, kissing him passionately.

………………………………………

The drive north to Santa Fe was relatively quiet. Random small talk was exchanged about the weather and the NBA finals. They picked up Bradin in Rio Rancho on the way. Bradin and Will wound up in a conversation about their college acceptance letters which were due to start arriving shortly. Troy listened in genuine interest.

When they arrived at Coach Lang's house, they were surprised to see a full sized bus out the front, with the smattering of boys hanging around in the front yard.

"Uh… why do we have a…" Bradin began to ask.

"Fuck up at the bus company," Lee answered. "Luckily Coach Kirkpatrick has a bus license. How you guys going?"

The boys piled on board, talking and shaking hands and greeting one another. Among the majority of the team, there was a camaraderie which they had forged almost instantly upon meeting. Quickly they spread out, each taking a set of two seats. Troy was sitting across from Lee; in front of Bradin; behind Matty. Jackson, Jamal and Samuel had careened up the back of the bus, taking the back rows.

The trip began in high spirits as a result of Coach Lang's first act – being to hand their uniforms.

"Snap, this is sweet!" Troy exclaimed.

The uniform was mostly red, with a yellowish-orange block a few inches wide running from the arm pit down – the colours being those of the New Mexico flag. Troy flipped his jersey over to examine the white text with a black outline with "Bolton" and "14" printed boldly. He fingered the material, tracing his number. The other guys also murmured in approval of the uniforms.

"Do we have a mascot?" Elijah called out.

Coach Lang smiled. "If we make it to nationals, we actually will acquire a cheersquad and an official mascot. The mascot… well… we are officially the 'New Mexico Roadrunners'. The Roadrunner being our state bird, for those of you who lack state pride and are unaware of that."

"Meep meep," Bradin said, imitating Road Runner from the Looney Tunes cartoon. The boys laughed.

"Why can't we be the eagles like in the coat of arms?" Matthew enquired with a sigh.

"The team from Delaware are the Chickens, so feel glad you're not them," Coach Kirkpatrick called out from his place behind the wheel.

………………………………………

The boys were left to their own devices for the majority of the trip. They spent about an hour creating a team chant. Troy found himself sending Gabriella a series of text messages to pass the time, as well as being engaged in a long conversation with Bradin. He and Bradin got along really well, despite the fact that there was a certain element of competition between them, as they had both been point guard captains in their home teams and therefore were both vying to be selected as the starting point guard. They stopped at the halfway point for gas and so the guys could purchase food – even though they'd all brought snacks on board.

About an hour before arriving, Coach Lang once again took his position at the front of the bus facing the group, to make some official announcements about the logistics of the competition and accommodation.

"Okay guys so you all know about the hostel where we're staying. There are three rooms, each with two sets of bunk beds, for you guys. We've randomly allocated your dorms."

Coach Lang began reading out the dorm allocations, identifying that Troy was in a dorm with Vince, Lee and Will. He was stoked about Vince and Lee, but a little apprehensive about Will. Even with the drive up together, they'd been a little tentative around one another. Troy sensed that Will only asked him if he wanted a ride out of obligation – and he'd only really accepted out of practicality, and not wanting to put either of his parents out. The fact was that Troy and Will had been semi rivals for years, even stemming back to middle school basketball they'd been on opposing teams. They had been on tentative terms as members of the same team. Not to mention that it was Will who had informed everyone that Troy was in a musical, hence starting the whole issue with Jackson and the other dickheads in the first place. On the other hand, Will hadn't really done or said anything directly rude to Troy since then, and he didn't HAVE to offer Troy a ride.

"Here are the rules. You will be given the schedule with our game times, designated training sessions and other team meeting times. Other than that, your time is your own – but we need to know where you are. I know this is frustrating, particularly as a lot of you are already 18. Also, you have an 11pm curfew. Most of you have family coming up to watch in a few days, so you'll possibly be going off to spend time with them. That's fine. If you're going to be out later than 11pm with family, let me know, I'll talk to your parents and it will be sorted. If you're just hanging out together – 11pm, no later. You will check in with us by 11pm every night. You won't be able to LEAVE the building after that time. This is all for duty of care purposes."

There was a subsequent series of grumbles and groans from the boys, however it was all relatively good natured. They were all serious about their basketball. The last thing any of them were going to be doing was gallivanting the streets in the wee hours of the morning, in the midst of the most important week of training and competition in their young careers.

………………………………………

After arriving at Dorm 4E, Lee and Vince quickly claimed a bunk bed, Lee on the top, Vince on the bottom. This left Troy and Will to stand awkwardly, not wanting to put the other one out.

"I don't mind, you pick," Troy said.

"Nah I don't care either," Will said firmly.

The truth was that Troy wanted the lower bunk. He suspected he would be the first to rise and be up training early, and didn't want to wake the person on the lower bunk when he got up early and climbed down.

"Seriously, you choose," Troy insisted.

Will sighed. "I guess I'd prefer the top but if you want it…"

"That's cool, I wanted the bottom," Troy said immediately, flashing the boy a smile, and tossing his bag onto the lower bunk.

Troy quickly excused himself from the dorm room, heading to Coach Lang's room up the corridor. He knocked on the door tentatively, and after being called in, he entered hesitantly.

"Troy? What can I do you for?" Coach Lang asked pleasantly. He was one of those people who, even after midnight when he was completely exhausted, he still managed to remain pleasant and friendly.

"Uh, you know how you said that you need to know where we're gonna be and stuff?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I thought you should know that I'll be up at 5 every morning. I know I could use the treadmill in the gym for my run but I prefer to hit the streets. Is that okay?"

Coach Lang sighed. "Do me a favour Troy. Don't get up that early tomorrow."

"But I…."

Coach Lang put his hand up, silencing Troy. "It's nearly 1 in the morning now. We're having a HUGE training session tomorrow afternoon. Not just playing ball, but cardio, and sprints, and weights. You dragging yourself out of bed early is just going to have you exhausted for the day. Tomorrow is quite important, I'll be making my final choices about our starting line up and what not. Best you are filled with energy."

Troy sighed. "Fine."

………………………………………

Troy got up at 9 the following morning, feeling grateful he'd listened to coach about getting some sleep. The other guys were still asleep when he rose, and still asleep when he returned after his run, cardio and weights session. However by the time he retrieved his shower stuff, went to the bathroom and returned, Lee and Vince were awake and chatting, and Will was sitting up with a laptop open, typing away. Lee and Vince were discussing their predictions for the starting line up, a conversation which Troy eagerly joined.

"I reckon it'll be Blake, Jackson, and you three," Lee said, gesturing to the three bunks around him.

"Whatever dude," Vince said, rolling his eyes. "Why would I be picked above you?"

"I reckon coach might use me as shooting guard," Troy remarked.

"Nah, no way, you're better than Bradin for point guard," Lee said.

"Truth be told, I'd rather not be in the starting line up if it means that it jeopardises our chances," Troy admitted.

"How do you mean?" Vince asked.

"Well obviously I don't play at my best when playing with other particular individuals in this team. And Coach seems to be using other particular individuals as centre all the time."

"I talked to coach about it last training weekend," Will spoke up from his top bunk.

"You did?" Troy asked dubiously.

Will nodded. "I questioned whether he should pull Jackson out of the starting line up. Not… not because I'm the other main centre. But… because I think it's more important to have your best point guard out there, than to have your best centre."

Realisation sunk in that Johnson was acknowledging that he thought Troy should be in the starting line up.

"Oh."

"He started going on about how Jackson is just as passionate about basketball as the rest of it and when it comes down to it, he doubts he would do anything to jeopardise a win."

"I think Coach Lang needs to take his rose coloured glasses off," Vince remarked.

Troy glanced at Vince. "You agree with me, don't you, that I shouldn't be playing with him?"

"Yeah," Vince admitted. "BUT. But I don't think coach should put Jackson in."

Troy turned back to Will. "Were you implying that you reckon Jackson is a better centre than you? I don't think he is."

"You're just saying that because you don't like Jackson," Will said witheringly.

"No I'm not. Let's face it, two months ago I couldn't stand your guts either," Troy said cheerfully, with a sly smile.

Will grinned. "True that."

……………………………………………………………………………

The afternoon training session was absolutely gruelling, leaving Troy feeling even more grateful that he'd followed the coach's advice and taken it easier that morning. When put in particular combinations, Troy knew that he was playing his best basketball ever.

Troy's gut instinct that the Coach had been using him more and more frequently as shooting guard was accurate. After breaking for dinner, the group came back together to spend an hour going over the line up and plays that they were going to focus on the following day. Jackson was named as starting centre, Bradin as point guard, Vince as the small forward, Matthew as the power forward and Troy as shooting guard.

After the discussion, the team was dismissed for the evening, however Coach Lang pulled Troy aside.

"Are you disappointed I haven't put you starting as point guard?" Coach Lang asked.

Troy cleared his throat. "I'm humbled to have been selected for this team. I'm honoured that you would put me in the starting line up at all. Playing with these guys is just an amazing experience. So I don't have anything to be disappointed about."

"And now the real answer, instead of the bullshit one you felt obliged to give?'

Troy sighed. "I'm a point guard. That's what I do. I know that point guard and shooting guard are relatively interchangeable. It's more that I think that my skills aren't being put to their best use."

"I know. Hence why my first shift of players, you'll get moved over to point guard. I… want to try to start out the match smoothly. Without… communication issues."

"That's a very diplomatic way of saying without me and Jackson getting at each others throats," Troy remarked.

"Use the opportunity of playing as shooting guard to work on your shooting skills, without needing to concentrate more so on leadership skills. You might find you enjoy it."

……………………………………………………………………………

The following morning, Troy changed his training regime. He cut his cardio work out short, and replaced that time with extra time working on his shooting technique. He practiced one handed, to work on keeping his direction straight. He practiced shooting whilst sitting on a chair – to work on his arm extension. He incorporated shooting from dribbling, from a fake shot. He persevered until he was able to get five shots in a row that were nothing but net.

Thursday's training schedule looked truly frightening. Two hours of practice play in the morning, an hour of weights, an hour and a half lunch break, an hour of sprints and cardio, an hour of discussion based time, and then another hour of play.

Troy wandered away from the rest of the guys during lunch, locating a Subway and purchasing a sandwich. He was wandering around the neighbourhood, and came across a random park with a basketball hoop. Troy smiled. This was the kind of place he'd grown up playing with his mates and loving. Not the scary gym at the sports complex they were playing at. It wasn't even the East High gym where he felt most comfortable. It was the hoop in his backyard, the hoop at the park across the street from Chad's place. He knew that if the guys had been with him now, they would have abandoned their lunch and attacked the hoop.

Troy suddenly felt very alone. Out of his comfort zone. He had a sudden urge to be with his friends. To be holding onto his girlfriend. The basketball weekends away were only a couple of days. Sure, his parents were driving to Phoenix on Friday. But they weren't coming to spend time with him. He would be with the team, doing his thing, and only see them briefly.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, checking the time. It was lunch period at East High. Perfect. He dialled Chad's number – knowing Gabriella's would be on silent in her bag, but that Chad's would be in his pocket. Surely enough, it was answered very efficiently.

"Hey man!" Chad exclaimed.

"Sup!" Troy said cheerfully.

"I'll put you on speaker, okay? Everyone is here."

Troy heard a few buttons beeping, and then next thing he heard a large chorus of people shouting "Hi Troy!" and "Sup man!" and "Bolton you dog!"

"Hey guys, what's happening? Having fun at SCHOOL while I'm spending all day playing basketball."

"You suck man," Zeke declared.

Troy laughed. "Yeah yeah."

"Are there lots of hot guys running around there?" a voice called out. "This is Paula by the way."

"I don't think I can answer that question," Troy responded, amused. "There are a lot of GUYS running around here. Whether they are hot isn't something I can answer. I did find out however, that if we make it to nationals we get to have our very own cheer squad. So at the nationals, there will be a whole lot of hot girls running around."

Troy heard the very distinguishable sound of his girlfriend clearing her throat. "Hi Gabi," he said sheepishly.

"Did they pick your starting line up?" Chad asked.

"Yeah man. They've put me as shooting guard for now."

"Trying to steal my position?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, that's totally the plan for next season, get you off the team," Troy said sarcastically.

"Harsh."

"Hey, could you take me off speaker so I can talk to Gabi?" Troy asked.

Gabriella lunged at the phone before Chad could protest that it was HIS phone after all.

"Hey," she said softly, taking the phone and walking away from the group.

"You know I was kidding about the hot cheerleaders right? Well… I wasn't KIDDING because it's true but…"

She giggled. "It's okay."

"I woke up today and just felt like a Gabriella hug all day. But there was no Gabriella hug, was there?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah just… feeling a bit nervous. In the deep end. I wish you could be here, and the guys. The Wildcats are my centre, you know? And you…"

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Gabriella said, sounding a little distracted.

"Are you okay Gabi?"

"I'm fine!" she insisted. "Listen, I have to go do something… did you want me to talk to Chad or anyone?"

"Nah it's cool I should get back to the team, my lunch break is nearly up. I'll call you later on, kay?"

"I miss you," Gabriella's shy yet earnest voice said.

"And I miss you too," Troy responded quietly.

Troy closed his cell, shoving it back into his pocket. A week ago, the constant microscope of his friends had been smouldering. It had left him feeling slightly claustrophobic.

Here he was, finally in a situation where he was independent, able to follow his gut instincts without judgement.

And yet just two days after he had last seen his friends, he suddenly longed to be surrounded by them. The feeling of claustrophobia would be welcome as opposed to the present feeling.

Solitude.

Anxiety.

Fear.

……………………………………………………………………………

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: In case you didn't get it… when Jack Bolton was with the crew and Taylor said they were talking about shopping for tampons… that's not what they were talking about. The scene wasn't completely pointless. It will go somewhere. I promise.**


	4. Lose Yourself

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART FOUR – LOSE YOURSELF**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Phoenix, Arizona**

**Friday**

**Game 1 – South Western Region High School Basketball Championship**

**New Mexico Roadrunners v Utah Elks**

It was a different feeling, getting ready for a game with the New Mexico Roadrunners.

Troy felt alone.

Normally he liked a bit of solitude before a big game. He would remain behind in the locker room for a couple of minutes after his team had left, just taking the time to take a few deep breaths, to give himself a pep talk.

But at least, he knew that just beyond the locker room door his friends and team mates were around.

He knew his father was in his office, putting a tie on, finalising his playbook, ready to give the team a last minute inspirational 'kick ass' speech.

He knew that the cheerleaders were in the girls locker room next door, and if he wanted a good luck hug all he had to do was ask and he would have half a dozen sets of arms around his body instantly.

Sure, he knew his parents had arrived in Phoenix, they'd called to let him know they were there and would see him after the game. And he'd received a string of good luck text messages from various friends – and a noisy cheering voicemail left around lunch time from a whole bunch of people. It was hard to distinguish who, but it was from Zeke's cell number and he suspected it was in the cafeteria.

Nevertheless, Troy felt very alone.

………………………………………

"And from New Mexico, welcome the New Mexico Roadrunners!" the announcer called over the PA.

The boys jogged out onto the court, tossing down gym bags, towels and water bottles around the bench area, and proceeded out to begin their final warm up, each team having half a court to run their proceedings.

It should have been Bradin taking the leadership role throughout the warm up, as the starting point guard. However Jackson had taken it upon himself to control how things were running. Troy rolled his eyes and exhaled noisily. The game hadn't even started and already the feud was impacting upon the game.

Troy folded his arms across his chest, standing stationary, and glared at Jackson.

When Will had passed along Coach Lang's opinion that come crunch time, he believed that Jackson's behaviour would change – Troy had wanted to believe it. He couldn't believe that this guy was so involved in himself, so involved in his petty little world – that he would jeopardise their whole team's bid to win the competition.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Jackson didn't care about anyone but himself.

A part of Troy was completely demoralised and dejected. He gave up trying to participate in the warm up – what was the point in exulting his energy?

"WHAT TEAM?!?!" A deep, solitary male voice shouted from the stands.

"WILDCATS!!!" Came a reply from a group of people.

Troy spun around, looking through the stands in the direction the noise had come from. He thought he'd heard…

"WHAT TEAM?!?!"

"WILDCATS!!!"

Troy couldn't believe his eyes. Those fucking sneaky bastards. They were easy to spot – seven people standing on their feet, adorned in red and white. Not only were his parents there – but proudly leading the chant was none other than Chad, with Jason, Zeke, Taylor and Gabriella.

"WHAT TEAM?!?!"

"WILDCATS!!!"

"WILDCATS!!!"

"GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!!!"

Troy pointed at them, and threw his head back in laughter. He was in complete and utter disbelief that they were there. The boys were all grinning madly, pulling silly faces. Taylor was smiling and waving madly. Gabriella was jumping up and down, and when she was fairly certain he was watching, blew him a kiss.

"Snap!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist. The grin on Troy's face was a mile wide, as he nodded at his friends in acknowledgement of their presence.

"Bolton," a voice called.

Troy spun around, tearing his eyes away from his friends. Will had possession of a basketball, and indicated to Troy an offer for a quick one on one spar. Troy nodded. The boys tousled, Troy stealing the ball and making a magnificent three point jump shot – from further out than he was normally even attempt. The crowd responded with a vocal "oooh" – and it was only warm up.

Having support in the crowd provided an instant boost, a spark of confidence, a whirl wind of motivation – but then the moment the game began, Troy had to shut out that they were there. He had to take the boost they had provided and use that to its best advantage. He couldn't be worrying about what they were thinking in the crowd, whether his girlfriend saw the sweet shot he just made. He needed to be completely focused, completely in the zone.

The New Mexico Roadrunners were quickly able to gain the upper hand against the Utah Elks. Coach Lang's theory of using Troy as shooting guard was working relatively well; as Bradin was being left to run the plays, many heading in Troy's direction, allowing him to use his excellent shooting technique to rack up the points. Of course, if the ball wound up in Jackson's hands, he would pass the ball in any direction rather than at Troy. At one point he attempted a three point jump shot which was well beyond his capability, to avoid having to pass the ball to Troy.

Coach Lang moved Bradin onto the bench, and brought Troy over to point guard and sent Vince on as shooting guard.

Troy had observed a similar pattern of play from the Elks, the ball travelling down the same side of the court. Troy tried three times to seize the opportunity he had seen, however Jackson interfered each time, preventing Troy's play from being utilised, and steering the play in a different direction.

"What the hell are you doing?" Troy hissed at Jackson.

Jackson just smirked, and headed back to the centre.

The next time that the ball was being passed to Jackson, Troy ran over to where Jackson was, and shoved him aside so hard that Jackson stumbled backwards nearly falling over. Troy seized the ball, moved it forward, passed it out to Lee while Troy moved into an open spot. Lee passed it back and Troy leapt in the air, making a magnificent jump shot which the crowd responded to with an excited roar.

Jackson's response was to stand up and shove Troy roughly. "What the fuck was that?!" he hissed.

Coach Lang called a time out, and the boys on the court ran over to the bench area.

"Bolton! You're off! Go work out in the gym!" Coach Lang shouted.

"WHAT?!" Troy exclaimed. He gestured in Jackson's direction. "But he…"

"I don't care. Get off. Go work out."

Troy stared at the coach.

"NOW!"

Troy picked up his towel and water bottle and shoved them into his gym bag, and stormed off the court and in the direction of the gym. Every door that was entered was closed behind him with a vicious slam. His bag was literally thrown half way across the deserted gym.

Troy hopped onto the treadmill, starting out at a quick walk, increasing the speed gradually to a leisurely jog, a fast paced jog, and then to a consistent run. Sweat was pouring down Troy's face as he sprinted. His heart was pounding and he was beginning to feel slightly faint, but he didn't care. He just continued running.

If it was up to him, he'd be outside running; running as far away from the disaster as he could.

Finally, Troy had the sense to stop. He was literally wheezing and nearly tripped over. He slowed the pace gradually until at a standstill, and he got off the machine. Beads of sweat adorned every inch of Troy's skin. He removed the basketball jersey, staring at the lettering.

Bolton

14

With a loud, exasperated groan, Troy threw the jersey in the direction of his gym bag. He went over, retrieving his towel and water bottle, taking a long swig of water. He approached the barbell press, loading up a weight that was more than he had ever attempted – even with a spotter – and spread his towel out to lie down. He struggled with the very first lift but nevertheless persevered, making the first 5 reps with little hesitation.

"You know you shouldn't be doing the barbell press without a spotter," the all too familiar sound of Jack Bolton came from across the room.

Troy didn't respond, just continued the upward motion of the sixth rep. His focus had been thrown though, and he was clearly struggling to complete the set. Jack went over to his son, gently removing the barbell from his hands and resting it back on its home.

"PB?" Jack asked.

Troy still didn't speak. He sat up, bringing his right arm across his chest for a stretch.

"How was the drive?" Troy finally spoke.

"Fine."

Jack and Troy hadn't made eye contact. Troy continued with his arm stretches.

"Well that didn't go well," Coach Bolton commented.

"Thanks Captain Obvious," Troy said dryly.

"Well your team won, if you even care," Coach said.

"Good to know. I imagine Jackson made the winning shot."

"No, actually, he was kept on the bench for the rest of the game. The boys did well to pull it off, losing two of their better players."

"Good on them," Troy said sarcastically. "I guess I'll just go home then, if they don't need me."

"Don't joke about that son. You're being given the opportunity of a lifetime here, representing your state in your junior year. It's not going to look good to the scouts if you throw it away by quitting."

"And I'm sure that the current situation is very impressive."

They fell silent for almost a full minute.

A minute in complete silence can be painful.

Particularly when, even in silence, the tension and thickness of the air is enough to represent a thousand words.

"You know you shouldn't have pushed him," Jack finally said.

"You were watching, you saw the guy was being a total ass!" Troy protested.

"Yes. But you shouldn't have pushed him."

"I don't need you to tell me shit I already know!' Troy shouted. "I was wrong, I get it!"

Jack nodded, not reacting to Troy's outburst.

"At least you know that."

Troy stood, walking straight past his father to the opposite side of the room. Jack barely glanced back at his son, and left Troy on his own.

In his entire life, Troy had never felt as angry as he did at that precise moment in time.

Prior to his dad's confrontation, Troy had been angry with Jackson. He had been angry with the situation in general.

Now, he was angry with himself.

He was furious with himself.

He was disgusted with himself.

Troy was in the process of channelling his anger in the direction of a punching bag – jabbing and hooking at it with such vigour that it was swinging about wildly – when he saw Gabriella and Chad quietly enter the room. He didn't stop his activity, he didn't even look up to greet them. Just a couple of hours earlier, he'd been thinking about how much he wanted to see these two people. Now, all he wanted was to avoid eye contact. Not because he didn't want to see them. But because he didn't want to see them looking at him.

Chad stood facing Troy, and grabbed hold of the punching bag, holding it still. Troy continued to punch it with an equal amount of energy.

"That Jackson guy is a fuckwit," Chad commented aloofly, as he struggled to keep the bag still, Troy's first blow throwing Chad off balance.

"Yep," Troy said shortly.

Gabriella had taken a seat at one of the weights stations nearby, and grabbed a hold of the lat bar above her head.

"Shit!" she swore, not realising that the previous user had left it on a heavy setting.

"Gabi, careful," Troy admonished.

He quickly abandoned the punching bag and went over to grab hold of the lat bar. Gabriella was struggling to keep a hold of it around her eye line, but was afraid to let it go. Troy grasped it, carefully allowing it to retract.

"Did you come here to hurt yourself?" Troy asked.

"Yes, I came to Arizona to come and use the gym at the sports complex and subsequently hurt myself," Gabriella found herself replying snarkily.

"Don't know why else you came. Nothing else to see here. In fact, you're probably regretting coming all this way," Troy remarked.

He returned to his station in front of the punching bag, resuming his jab-jab-cross-jab-hook-jab-cross-hook-cross combination.

"No, I think we're even more glad that we came," Gabriella said softly.

Troy gave the punching bag one last series of punches before stepping away, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Chad asked quietly.

"Okay is a relative term," Troy responded ambiguously.

"Troy."

Troy sighed. "Pissed at myself but… I'm not about to have a nervous breakdown if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what I was asking."

Troy looked up at Chad, who was staring back at him. Since 'the incident', Troy and Chad had been walking around one another on eggshells, avoiding any kind of proper conversation. Chad's eyes were on Troy with a look of genuine concern. It was as though they were able to pick up the tension of the past few weeks, wrap it up, put it in a box, and then set the box aside.

It wasn't going to go away, like they'd all so brazenly declared that it could just be forgotten. The box would need to be opened sooner or later.

But Troy knew that whatever had happened, just for that fleeting moment of time – that none of it mattered.

"I think you need a hug," Gabriella announced, standing from her seat beneath the lat bar.

"I'm sweaty," Troy said, protesting.

"I don't care."

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her boyfriend tightly. He rolled his eyes over her shoulder at Chad, but nevertheless softened into the hug, holding her just as tightly. The sound of a clearing throat at the door made Troy look up, and see that Coach Lang was standing there. Troy pulled away from Gabriella.

"Troy, we're having a debrief in ten. You should shower up," Coach Lang said shortly. "It won't take long, you can talk to your friends after."

"Okay," Troy said quietly.

Coach Lang nodded, and walked away.

"You go man, it's all good," Chad said.

"I'll have to meet up with you after our meeting," Troy said softly. "What are you guys doing? I need to find out all about how exactly you've kept this little visit a secret from me."

"We were going to head out and grab some dinner. Give us a call when you're done," Chad informed him.

"Good luck," Gabriella said quietly.

Troy managed to smile. "I'll need it."

He picked up his towel and headed towards the shower area. "Oh… thanks… for being here. Seriously, it means a lot."

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Gabriella said.

………………………………………

The debrief was short. Coach Lang decided that he needed the night to mull over the happenings, so he kept the debrief short. There was no mention of the incident with Troy and Jackson whatsoever. The two boys could not have separated themselves further in the room, literally in completely opposite corners.

"We'll finish up tomorrow. We're going to meet early, at 7:30 in the morning," Coach Lang said. "Until then the time is yours. Use it wisely, I suggest having a good meal and a good nights sleep. Bolton, stay behind. Jackson, stick around outside, I'll be dealing with you next."

Coach Lang was a practical man. The fact was that he didn't have the time or the resources to sort out the issues between the boys. Only they could sort that out. But in the meantime, Bolton was his best point guard and Jackson his best centre and he wanted them both in his starting line up. But obviously that wasn't going to work. He needed to keep them away from one another for the next week. If they made it to nationals, he would consider a better long term solution to actually solve the dispute.

Troy sat on the bench in the middle of the locker room, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry."

It wasn't Troy who had spoken.

It was Coach Lang.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Troy said quietly.

"Yes but… I am also sorry."

"Why are you sorry? Is this where you tell me you're kicking me off the team permanently?"

Coach Lang shook his head. "I'm sorry because it's my fault that I didn't deal with this… situation… earlier. My general coaching approach is that I like to keep it to the basketball, and I leave the interpersonal issues to the team to sort out. It's difficult in this environment where we don't actually allocate a captain for this round – should we make it through to nationals, you boys vote on a captain. A lot of these types of issues are the ones which, in the school environment, a captain will be left to deal with, and the coach won't become involved in. I allowed it to go too far. I was naïve to think that it would just sort itself out."

"It shouldn't have gone this far though, that's not your fault," Troy said bluntly. "I should have sorted it. And I'm sorry that I lost my temper."

Coach Lang nodded. "I'm not one to take sides but… you know from our previous discussions that I fall on your side of the fence here. I know you are being treated unfairly. I will be speaking to Jackson about his behaviour next."

"Okay."

"Regardless of my opinion, Troy, you must understand this – if I see you push or elbow or even threaten any kind of violence against a fellow team member again, I will remove you from this team permanently," Coach said quietly, but firmly.

Troy nodded. "Yes coach."

"I'll be making changes to the starting line up. I haven't fully fleshed it out yet, but it's likely that I'll be removing you from the starting side," Coach Lang said regretfully.

Troy raised his hand up. "It's okay coach. I understand. Given… the situation."

"I believe in providing people with potential the opportunity to mould their skills. Troy… you have real potential. If we are successful this week, this issue between you and Ian WILL be sorted out so that I can put my best team forward."

………………………………………

The boys returned quietly to the hostel up the road, to be met by more or less every parent, sibling and friend who had made the journey from New Mexico. The outdoor common area, with a barbeque and a pool, had been taken over by the New Mexico supporters. Meanwhile the Utah supporters were in the indoor common room, which had the television, foosball table, vending machines and basic kitchen amenities.

Nearly every team member had family there, parents and siblings. There was also a strong crowd of youth – between brothers and sisters, and also friends. Both Matthew and Bradin had girlfriends who come along to watch with some friends and team mates of the boys. Additionally, some of Blake's teammates were also present. Given the other guys were seniors, apparently their friends had more simplistically been able to come – one of them saying 'let's drive' and then just rocking up in Arizona.

Troy's entourage was no exception – Jason, Zeke, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor and Lucille Bolton arrived not long after Troy had called them and informed them they should just come by the hostel. Troy wasn't surprised to see his father was NOT in attendance.

It was an excellent distraction from the drama of the evening, being filled in on all of the sneaky details. It was soon explained that they'd been organising the trip behind his back for about a week and a half. His parents had rented a minivan, and Coach Bolton had pulled strings to get the whole crew out of the final day of school before spring break.

"So, you were lying when you said you had a whole series of decathlon meetings over spring break next week," Troy said accusingly to Gabriella and Taylor.

"Yes. Both Martha and Jeremy are away with their families this week anyway," Taylor informed him.

"And you said you were going camping!" Troy said to Jason.

Jason grinned. "That I did."

"And today! When you left that voicemail that sooo sounded like it was from the cafeteria!"

"It was just in the minivan dude," Zeke explained with a grin.

Troy turned back to Gabriella. "And you were CRYING on Tuesday! You made me feel guilty for NOT being as upset as you!"

"I was upset, it was still four days apart," she said defensively.

Troy softened, smiling at her. "Four long days," he agreed, squeezing her hand.

He turned to his mother. "And you helped to plan this? And hid it from me?"

"It was a team effort," she said with a smile.

"What happened with your coach?" Chad asked, feeling a little awkward, but obviously Troy was going to have to tell them sooner or later.

"He was okay. Not happy, but okay. We'll see what happens with the starting line up. I reckon I'll get pulled but that's fine, better than another repeat of tonight."

Just having his friends around, supporting him, made the world of difference in Troy's demeanour.

Bradin and Blake approached Troy's group of people.

"Hey, do you and your crew want to come out for pizza? We're all going. The local pizzeria is going to flip when we all rock up," Bradin said with a wide grin.

"Who is 'we all'?" Troy asked warily.

"Umm… well, the team, minus the three people who are clearly not here in this room right now," Blake said pointedly. "As well as everyone out here who is under the age of 20."

Troy glanced at his friends. "Is that okay with you guys?"

They all nodded agreeably.

………………………………………

There were almost 40 of them in total. The manager of the pizzeria had been flabbergasted – seeing dollar signs at all the money they were about to make, and groaning internally at the work they were about to be forced to do. Three long tables were taken over by the crew – luckily it was fairly quiet and just after the dinner rush by the time they arrived so they could be accommodated.

Matthew's girlfriend Sarah; Bradin's girlfriend Allie and Elijah's 19 year old sister Tanika quickly introduced themselves to Gabriella and Taylor – the girls forging a bond over feeling very female in a testosterone filled room. They disappeared not long after arriving into the bathroom – girls travelling in a pack as girls do where bathrooms are involved.

"Matty has lettered in not only basketball, but also in track and field, AND in tennis," Sarah gushed, as she reapplied lipstick.

"Well, Bradin has been accepted to the University of New Mexico on a FULL basketball scholarship," Allie said proudly as she ran a comb through her hair

Gabriella glanced at Taylor. She wasn't the gushing girlfriend type. But, if she didn't gush, that would be out of place. And what if Troy thought that she WASN'T proud of his achievements.

"Troy was the first sophomore ever to be selected for starting varsity!" she exclaimed. "He was voted MVP for the ENTIRE SEASON."

"You guys are so cute together," Allie said. "How did you meet?"

"Oh, well, it's a funny story really. I only moved to East High after winter vacation. I was in Colorado with my mom at this ski lodge for a few days before we came to Albuquerque, and there was this lame party thing on New Years Eve which she forced me to go to. And I met Troy there… we were kinda forced to do karaoke… and then I arrived at East High a week later and there he was!"

The girls gasped adoringly. "It's like you were destined to be together," Sarah said dreamily.

………………………………………

Meanwhile, in the restaurant, the boys were still devouring pizza and, with the girls currently not present, they became the topic of conversation.

"Your girlfriend is smoking hot!" Blake remarked to Troy.

"Back off buddy," Troy warned.

"Nah man, I don't mean it like that. But seriously, good work finding that one."

Troy grinned. "Yeah. I know."

"Too bad you won't be able to keep her satisfied long enough to keep her around," a voice said from behind.

"What, so now you seek me out to give me a hard time?" Troy asked, not even turning around to face him.

"Please, give me some credit. Me and the boys were just picking up some food."

"Right then, you can run along then."

"So where is the little darlin'? I did see a dark haired beauty out in the back alley with a real man," Jackson commented.

Troy now stood to face Jackson, his arms folded over his chest.

"That's right, she was letting him pound it into her tight little cu…"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Troy said, disgusted.

"Maybe she'll be up for some more action to satisfy those needs you would leave so unfulfilled, I might go out the back and see if she's still around."

A feminine clearing of the throat sounded. Gabriella and Taylor were standing behind him.

"I would rather be awake for my own lobotomy than to let any part of your disgusting, filthy body come anywhere near me," Gabriella retorted.

Jackson smiled. "Come on sweetheart, it's just a bit of friendly banter between me and your boy here."

"Jackson, let's just go," Samuel urged his friend.

"Sammy buddy, it's all cool here."

"You heard coach. He'll pull you out permanently if you start anything," Jamal added.

"Seriously dude, do you actually think that you're cool?" Will asked Jackson, raising his eyebrows.

"Who asked you?"

"Jackson, let's GO," Samuel insisted.

Jackson turned away from Troy, and began to walk in the opposite direction, toward the door.

"Jackson!" Troy called.

Jackson turned back around.

"You can say whatever you like about me, treat me like shit, whatever. I'll deal. But if you say one syllable of trash about my girlfriend ever again, you will regret it," Troy said threateningly.

The group sat in silence as the three unwanted visitors left the room.

"I don't like him," Gabriella said in a tiny voice, breaking the silence.

Troy took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Join the club."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So a bunch of you guessed it right. Yes, they were planning to come to Arizona. There is actually a whole back story here, with how they came to decide to go to Phoenix and stuff… I cut it hoping to maintain the element of surprise… but I might write it all properly as a one shot one day. It would be pretty blah really, no direct Troyella seeing as it's all behind Troy's back therefore Troy isn't there. But anywho… **

**I've been trying to respond to as many of your reviews as possible, particularly if you've provided some specific sort of comment. IF I haven't gotten back to you, I apologise and assure you there is nothing intentional, a few will always slip through the cracks! Besides, something tells me that you would rather I channel my energy into writing the next chapter than scouring through to make sure I haven't missed anyone! **

**I just want to send a quick shout out to basically anyone who has left reviews for either Here With You or Play It My Way anonymously and therefore I haven't been able to get back to you and let you know just how much I appreciate your really lovely support!**

**I know that some of you mentioned that you don't often leave reviews, I actually feel really touched that my story was one which brought you out from the shadows! I remember when I first joined the fandom a few months ago and I read for ages in silence, always feeling rather weird to just randomly contribute. Then one day someone just completely inspired me with their work so I made that step. I hope you guys are here reading PIMW silently… if you feel weird leaving a review, please feel free to e-mail me (it's in the profile, or – I use gmail and take a wild stab in the dark what someone with my user name might have as an e-mail addy…)**

**Also props to **_**emptrajan**_**… I think you'll find the next couple of chapters are going to be a hundred times better than they would have been because they have been RIPPED TO SHREDS. Well… that's an exaggeration… **


	5. Today Is The Day

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART FIVE – TODAY IS THE DAY**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Gabriella and Taylor were sprawled across the lawn adjacent to the outdoor training court being utilised by the New Mexico Roadrunners. Sitting with them were Tanika (Elijah's older sister) Allie (Bradin's girlfriend) and Sarah (Matthew's girlfriend).

"Gabriella, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I bet you could bounce coins off of Troy's ass," Tanika remarked, her eyes glued to Troy as he was dribbling the ball in the opposite direction up the court.

Gabriella almost spit out the mouthful of water she had just taken. She somehow managed to swallow. "I uh… can't say I've ever tried."

"Seriously, he is FINE. I've never been into pretty guys before but…"

"You think Troy is 'pretty'?" Gabriella asked, almost defensively.

"Well… yeah… I don't mean that in a bad way."

Gabriella glanced at Taylor. "Would you say Troy is 'pretty'?"

"Yes," Taylor said bluntly. "There's nothing wrong with pretty. Chad is pretty."

"I wouldn't let Chad hear you say that," Gabriella said wryly.

"But Troy is pretty in a manly way. Just look at those biceps. Troy Bolton is just one of those boys who isn't meant to be only looked at," Tanika declared.

"He's meant to be touched," Allie agreed. "By the way, so not interested in your boyfriend in that way. I am very happily in a relationship."

Gabriella giggled. "Well… that's good to hear, I have enough competition from the girls that lust after him at East High."

"I bet he's a bit of a bunny in the sack," Sarah commented slyly.

Gabriella blushed. "Uh… we uh… we haven't… I wouldn't know."

"Oh, sorry. That's cool. You guys just seem so totally into each other, I assumed you'd gotten that serious."

"We've only been going out for a few months," Gabriella said.

"How long have you been going out with Chad?" Tanika asked Taylor.

It was Taylor's turn to nearly spit out the mouthful of beverage she'd just swallowed. "We're not going out."

"Oh really? I so totally got that vibe."

"We're just friends," Taylor insisted.

"Friends who flirt and stare at one another longingly," Gabriella said knowingly.

"Shut up!" Taylor shot back.

"Do you girls go and watch all of the basketball games through the season?" Gabriella asked the others.

They all nodded.

"I don't think I've missed one of Elijah's games in years," Tanika said.

"I don't know a lot about basketball," Gabriella admitted. "These guys – they're really quite good, aren't they?"

"They were on FIRE yesterday," Sarah said. "Coach Lang is crazy if he doesn't use your Troy as starting point guard."

……………………………………………………………………………

It was now Sunday. The New Mexico Roadrunners had completely demolished the Nevada Bluebirds in the second round of the contest the day before. They'd taken the lead early on, but the points had really started to rack on once the first series of interchanges were made, bringing Troy on as point guard, and Will Johnson on as centre, replacing Ian Jackson.

During practice the previous morning, it had been a matter of necessity to put Troy and Will out together very consistently – the most effective way of ensuring Troy got match time and also kept he and Jackson apart from one another. But what came as a surprise to everyone was that Troy and Will were able to form an awesome combination on the court. As captains of rival teams, Will and Troy actually knew one another's game really well. They'd played multiple times, studying their rivals technique. This translated into an awesome combination on the court because they were able to anticipate one another's moves well.

When the boys were introduced into their second round game the previous evening, Will was established not only playing the position of centre, but also acting as the pick – it was his role to ensure he was available to receive the pass and get it to the intended open man to make the shot. Troy, as point guard and playmaker, played a key role in initiating plays. Will worked well as the pick because he was familiar with Troy's game, he was good at anticipating and understanding exactly what plays Troy was working to execute.

Whilst the girls were gossiping and objectifying the boys, Coach Lang and Coach Kirkpatrick were in the mist of employing a new training mechanism – in response to a suggestion by Troy the previous evening following their post match team meeting.

_Troy had remained behind, approaching the two coaches as they were in the process of packing up their various playbooks and sheets of scattered paper. _

"_Uh… It might not be my place to do so, but can I suggest something for our workout tomorrow morning?" Troy asked tentatively._

"_Sure, we're always open to suggestions," Coach Kirkpatrick said._

"_Well… we're all getting fairly used to playing with each other. I mean, we know each others moves and stuff. Maybe you could use some of our mates that are here this week, our teammates, to practice with. I mean, I don't know about Blake and Bradin and Matty, but the guys from my team, they would hold their own here, they are really good."_

_The coaches looked at each other. "That's not a bad idea," Coach Lang mused._

This had led to a quick series of phone calls, and the introduction of a whole group of additional boys who were more than willing and able to aid the New Mexico Roadrunners with their preparations. This also led to the subsequent cheer squad of their female supporters throughout the practice session.

Chad, Zeke and Jason were all suited up, ready to play along side Troy. At last, the four friends, reunited on the court. However their usual centre – Scott – was not present. Even if he had been, Troy would most likely have asked him politely to get the hell out. His former team mate and now former friend was the last person who Troy wanted around.

So to replace Scott in the Wildcats starting line up – was most ironically the Wildcats arch nemesis, William Johnson.

"Hows it feel, being an honorary Wildcat?" Troy asked Will with a smirk.

"Why don't we just say we're the team from Albuquerque instead of labelling me as a Wildcat, hey?"

……………………………………………………………………………

It was just after midday. There were less than four hours until the third round, with the game against the California Elks scheduled to begin at 4pm. The New Mexico Roadrunners were in the midst of their final practice game – now just the 12 boys in the midst of playing and interchanging. They had a small crowd watching their practice – with their teammates and the girls sticking around to watch the final practice.

Troy was in possession of the basketball, had made a quick break and was running and dribbling the ball. The opposing team was utilising a basic zone defense strategy, and as Troy entered into Jackson's territory, the older boy sprinted to cut off the path between Troy and the basket. He was standing dangerously close to Troy, and as Troy executed a reverse and began to shoot the ball, Jackson slammed into him. The whistle blew, indicating a foul.

"Watch the fuck where you're going," Jackson scowled.

"It's basic defense strategy dude, don't stand too close to your opponent or you're risking a foul against you," Troy said with a frustrated sigh.

"Oh, now you think you can tell me how to play ball?"

"Do you even WANT to win this tournament?" Troy exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you even want to win this tournament?!"

"What kind of a dumbfuck question is that?" Jackson sniped.

Coach Lang stepped forward. "Guys…."

"No! I'm sorry Coach, but this needs to be said, better sooner rather than later," Troy said firmly.

Coach Lang sighed and stepped back. By now, the eyes of not only the whole New Mexico Roadrunners team were on Troy and Jackson, but also the eyes of their teammates, friends and supporters.

Troy turned back to Jackson. "I think it's a fairly legitimate 'dumbfuck' question because you acting how you've been acting – we're gonna lose!"

"Oh, this is my fault is it?"

"YES!" Troy exclaimed. "Look, I don't particularly like you much either, the words I would use to describe you are ones I don't use in mixed company. But that doesn't matter. You're a sweet basketball player, and you're an asset to this team. I'm not asking you to like me. I'm not asking you to socialise with me."

"Then what the fuck are you asking me to do?"

"BULID A FUCKING BRIDGE AND GET THE FUCK OVER IT!!" Troy exploded. "WE'RE HERE TO PLAY BASKETBALL – AND TO WIN! NOT TO ACT LIKE FUCKING SIX YEAR OLDS!"

"You're the one who is screaming at me and acting like a whiney little six year old," Jackson smirked.

"I don't know what the hell your home team think of you, but no one here is thinking that you're cool. Look, if you want to just be an egotistical cock, that's your call. But you're not just fucking up my game, you're fucking up this whole teams – and your own."

The boys stood glaring at each other in silence. Troy was seething. His fists were clenched tight, it had taken every inch of willpower to stop himself from physically hurting Jackson. Not only did he feel anger though – he felt a strange sense of fulfilment. He'd let this guy jerk him around for months. Well, it wasn't going to continue. Not any longer.

Jackson's expression contorted. He went from looking like a representation of pure, mocking evil – to looking confused. Jackson was completely and utterly flabbergasted. He wasn't accustomed to being stood up to. He wasn't accustomed to having people yelling at him. And more than anything – he wasn't accustomed to being put in his place. As much as it disgusted him to admit it – and he would never admit it out loud – he knew there was truth to Troy's words. It wasn't fair that they had let the issue that was between the two of them impact upon the team.

"_What the hell was that Ian?" his father had demanded following the opening game._

"_What was what?" he stupidly replied._

"_This competition is the most important series of games in your career. This competition is what allows you to set yourself apart as being a true player, a player worthy of attention from scouts and scholarship committees."_

_Jackson closed his eyes. He'd heard this speech a dozen times before. _

"_I know that."_

"_Well why are you playing like a retard? You were nowhere near at the top of your game – and what about this shit with Bolton?"_

"_He started it," Jackson said poutily, like a child._

"_Like hell he started it, you were the one antagonising him. If I were that kid I would have done a lot worse to you than shove you aside."_

Troy saw the minuscule flash of softening in the older boys eyes. That flash, that brief moment in time where Troy knew that Jackson wasn't going to dare say a word back – for now, it was enough. The issue was far from resolved. But for now, it would have to do.

Troy tore his eyes away, and stepped back.

"So. There was a foul. Free throws?"

……………………………………………………………………………

Five and a half hours later, Troy was high fiving and handshaking his team mates. Not only had they won their third round match, but they had won it in style. Troy's personal statistics for the game were rather impressive – scoring 28 points; making 90 of his free throw attempts; making 4 of his attempts at 3 point shots. He also stole the ball 5 times and was responsible for a large number of defensive and offensive rebounds.

Statistics aside, the most impressive element of the game was that Ian Jackson and Troy Bolton actually cooperated for the first time since playing together. Albeit, they were only simultaneously on the court for a limited time period, approximately 8 minutes altogether. But in those eight minutes, the guys managed to execute several advanced plays, furthering the Roadrunners lead.

The New Mexico Roadrunners now had secured their place in the quarter finals. Their opponents were to be decided in the game being held at 7pm that evening. The boys trooped from the court into the locker room, quickly showering and then gathering for their post match debrief. Coach Lang kept it short and sweet.

"I'm going to leave most of the detail for tomorrow – although we have no game, of course we will be training. We're going to meet for a 10 – 1 session; and then a 3 – 6 session tomorrow. As for tonight – you are all to take tonight off. Spend time with your families, with your friends. Do homework. Chill out, watch TV. I don't want any of you to come back to watch the game – that's what myself and Coach Kirkpatrick are here for. I don't want a single person to touch a basketball. I don't want you to go for a run. I don't want to hear that any of you were in the gym."

"That means you Troy," Bradin said under his breath.

A few of the guys laughed good naturedly. Troy rolled his eyes but took the jibe – by now, they were all well aware of his slightly neurotic training schedule.

……………………………………………………………………………

Troy had spoken to his 'support crew' straight after the match, heading straight up to them in the stands before even heading to shower. He had fully expected Coach Lang to request a dinner meeting to go over a detailed debrief, so they could move on the following day with more intense preparations. So he found himself strolling up the street, up to the motel where he had been told they were all staying, and pressing the buzzer for the apartment number his mother had dictated to him.

"Hello?" his mother's voice came over the intercom.

"Hi!" Troy called merrily.

"Who is this?" she asked.

Troy coughed. "Troy. Your son. Brown hair, blue eyes. Remember me?"

"Oh! Come in! We're on the third level, right up the end of the corridor."

Troy bounded up the staircase, Lucille hugging her son tightly and planting kisses on his cheeks the moment she opened the door.

"You were really fantastic in the game this afternoon, your father has been RAVING about it ever since," she gushed.

Troy glanced around the apartment, realising that none of his friends were presence, so his discomfort level at his mother's display of affection decreased.

"I think it went pretty well," Troy remarked. "Where's the crew?"

"In the girls' room downstairs."

"Gabi and Tay have their own room?" Troy asked incredulously.

"This is a two bedroom apartment. The boys are staying in there," Lucille said, gesturing toward the smaller bedroom. "Originally we planned on having the girls with us and the boys in their own room, but that was when we were trying to get one of the rooms next door. Unfortunately there were none available. So the girls are in just a basic room on their own, since we trust them more than the boys."

Troy smirked. He could just imagine that if Chad, Jason and Zeke had their own room, they would have found a way to hide stashes of alcohol and hold miniature parties.

"Fair enough."

"I thought you'd be having a team dinner debrief," Lucille said.

"So did I. Coach gave us the night off. Enough food for me here?"

Troy could smell the familiar aroma of his mother's Bolognese sauce coming from the small kitchenette. Of course even on holiday, and when responsible for five teenagers, Lucille found her way into the kitchen.

"Have I ever made a meal without having vats of left overs?"

"Good point."

"The girls' room is on the ground floor, room 7 if you want to go down."

"It's okay, I'll see them later. I'll hang here."

Lucille Bolton examined her son carefully. "Are you okay? Is this my son, Troy Bolton, turning down a suggestion to go and spend time with his friends, in favour of sitting with his parents?"

Troy grinned. "Savour it while you can because I doubt it'll happen many other times in this life."

Jack Bolton appeared from the master bedroom. "Thought I heard your voice son. Coach Lang not having a team meeting tonight?"

"No. In fact he banned us from playing, from training and from watching basketball for the night."

"Sounds like a smart man," Lucille commented. Troy and Jack both stared at her. "What!? I'm just saying, I think it's healthy to have some down time."

Jack's mood with his son had improved considerably since their confrontation on Friday night. That was exactly what Jack and Troy were like. An issue would arise, they would argue, and then it would be swept under the rug once they'd gotten over it. With the improvement in Troy's game, Jack seemed to move on from his grievances with Troy's behaviour on Friday night. So under the rug it went.

Jack and Troy sat at the dining table discussing some of Jack's thoughts about the last couple of games. He'd also attended a few other matches, and proceeded to give Troy some pointers about a few of the teams the Roadrunners would face if they progressed throughout the finals series.

Lucille used the internal motel phone to dial the extension number to Taylor and Gabriella's room, requesting they come upstairs for dinner. The notion of food of course was enough to bring the boys up almost instantly. Just a couple of minutes later, the door to the room burst open.

Zeke was the first to enter the room, and hence the first to spot Troy seated at the dining table talking to Jack Bolton.

"Troy!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Hey guys, look!"

Troy stood up, nodding at the guys in greeting. "Sup guys?"

"Bolton, you slumming it with the simpletons?" Chad greeted him, holding his hand out for a handshake.

"I'd call my digs slumming it man. There's like two hundred guys staying in the joint, who spend most of their day training. Talk about something that REEKS."

"I didn't notice it that bad when we were there on Friday," Jason remarked.

"That's coz you reek dude," Zeke said with a grin.

At that point, Taylor and Gabriella rounded the corner into the room.

"Hey!" Gabriella exclaimed, her elation at seeing him rather evident by the wide grin.

"Hey," Troy greeted her warmly, stepping away from the guys and toward the door to give his girlfriend a warm hug and a quick 'parents in room friendly' kiss.

"They let you out of jail for the night?" Taylor asked.

"Something like that."

"Okay you lot, spag bol is up, how much do you all want?" Lucille called.

"As much as you can fit on my plate, Mrs B," Chad called cheerfully.

……………………………………………………………………………

Following dinner, Gabriella – being her Gabriella self – was the first to stand up and begin stacking plates to return them into the kitchen area. And Troy – being his Troy self – was the first to stand up, grab his own plate to present the guise that he was 'helping' and follow her into the kitchen.

"Do you want to go get ice cream for dessert?" Troy asked Gabriella softly. "There's a Baskin Robbins up the road. Think of it like… a mini date in Phoenix."

Gabriella smiled. "Sounds nice. Do you think your parents will mind?"

"Nah."

They finished stacking the dishwasher carefully, and Troy led Gabriella by the hand back to the dining/living area, where Zeke, Taylor and Lucille Bolton were in a conversation about recipes; and Chad, Jason and Jack were talking about – what else – but basketball.

"Gabriella and I are going to get ice cream," Troy announced.

Lucille raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you are, are you?"

"Can I come?" Jason smirked.

"No," Troy said bluntly, and turned to his mother. "Don't worry, I'll have her home safe and sound by 11… that's my curfew, anyway."

"You guys have a curfew?" Chad said with a laugh.

"Yes," Troy said darkly. "It's ridiculous. Half the guys are 18 years old."

"Word," Jason said.

"Come on," Troy prompted Gabriella, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door. "Thanks for dinner, see you later!"

……………………………………………………………………………

Strolling the streets of Phoenix hand in hand, clutching onto cookies and cream flavoured ice cream cones, Troy and Gabriella played every inch of the picturesque perfect couple they appeared to be. They joked, they laughed, they flirted. When ice cream found its way to the crook of Gabriella's smile, Troy's lips seductively found their way over to initiate a languid kiss.

However beneath the seemingly simplistic picturesque vision that the couple displayed were overwhelming layers of emotion. Of contemplation. Of reflection. Of gratitude.

They passed the small neighbourhood park which Troy had stumbled across just days earlier, where he had first contemplated his longing for something familiar, something which provided him centre and direction. His automatic response – without a single moment of thought – was to wander into the park and pause just short of the bitumen playing surface and gleaming orange basketball hoop.

"You're just itching to play, aren't you? Even though you were playing just a few hours ago," Gabriella observed, a smile toying on her lips. "I see that glint in your eye."

"I guess that's me, Troy Bolton, once a basketball jock, always a basketball jock."

"You're not a jock Troy," Gabriella said quietly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"There is a difference between a jock and an athlete. Ian Jackson, he is a jock. The majority of the guys on the East High football team – also jocks. Arrogant and closed minded to anything outside of their little sporting world. You don't play because it's cool or because it gives you status."

"I play because I love to play," Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. "You looked really happy out there this afternoon."

"I did?"

Gabriella nodded. "When I was watching you train over the last few weeks – you know, like if you and the guys were playing two on two; or this morning when we went along to watch the training session – you just looked so…" she trailed off, trying to find the right word. "…intense. Obviously this is very serious for you, and it shouldn't be a barrel of laughs, but when you used to talk about basketball, you'd talk about it being something that you love. I hadn't felt that from you lately. It was like an obligation. But today… you looked happy."

"You're right, you know. For a while, I sort of… I guess I lost sight of why I was putting myself through this hell. Playing today, I remembered why I play. That I do love it. I love playing, I love competing. I love that feeling of taking a shot and just knowing, mid air, that I've hit exactly the right mark."

"You're lucky," Gabriella said enviously. "To have something you feel so passionate about. Something that you can see yourself wanting to pursue in the future. Lots of people don't have that."

Gabriella went over to a bench which was along side the half court, taking a seat.

Troy shrugged. "Is it healthy though? It's like the kid who wants to grow up and be a singer. It's not that easy. Not everyone has what it takes. And even if you have the stuff, there's only so many opportunities floating around. The NBA has 30 teams with 12 guys on each team. How many thousands of guys about my age dream about making it all the way to the top? You're the math whiz, you do the statistics."

"There's nothing wrong with having a dream Troy," Gabriella said softly. "It's about being realistic. You're not some kid who just mucks around with a ball in his yard. You're here, representing your state. There's a reason you were picked for this team, even though you're only a junior. There's a reason why Coach Lang singles you out to give you individual pep talks."

Troy contemplated what she had just said. He wandered around the half court, sticking near his base – the perimeter.

"Coach Lang seems to think that if I work hard at it, then I might have the stuff to go places. I dunno… I think I'm a way off."

"Do you think you're at your peak?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked over at her. "Huh?"

"Like… okay… take gymnastics for example," Gabriella began.

Troy coughed. "You're comparing basketball to girls in leotards on the balance beam?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, let me explain will you? These girls; half of them hit their peak at like 15, 16 years of age. That's the top of their game. They retire at the tender age of 20."

"Your point?"

"Do you feel like you're the best that you'll ever be? Or do you feel like you're continually improving?"

"Definitely improving," Troy said immediately. "Absolutely most definitely. These last few months have proven that to me. You might all give me shit for training too hard, but I know that it's been paying off."

"I'm not saying – you'll definitely make the NBA. But I'm saying that you shouldn't give up on a dream before you know whether it truly is within your grasp."

Troy was silent for a while, as he walked definitely over to Gabriella to sit on the bench beside her.

"I get that," Troy said, nodding in agreement. "I guess it's something to aim for, to work towards. To know that I'm putting in all of this effort but that it's all going somewhere, you know? And that I'm not putting in the effort for something that I don't even know if I want to be doing because… I know that I want to keep playing basketball for as long as I am physically capable of playing. Even if I don't make the NBA, even if I can't even do well at a college level. I'll find a way to play."

"Now that's an attitude I like," Gabriella said with a smile.

The young couple fell into a comfortable silence. They'd reached that point in the relationship, where neither of them felt the need to fill in the gaps with random chatter. It was fine to sit side by side, revelling in the mere presence of the other one's company. Troy glanced over at Gabriella, a slight smile toying on his lips.

"I'm so glad that you're here," Troy said softly, clasping Gabriella's hand with his own. "It's funny how, a week before I left for Phoenix, I was thinking about the positives of being here on my own, of just having the time and space to train and whatever else without… without…"

"Without your dad pushing you. Or Chad holding your hand at the gym. Or me coddling you with your schoolwork," Gabriella supplied.

Troy nodded. "Yeah."

"But now?"

"When I first got here, it was okay, but it felt like something was missing. I felt stupid, being nearly 17, and yet so desperately craving the company of my friends… I think I forget how much I rely on them. Especially Chad. And… and then there's you… which surprised me more than anything."

"Oh?"

Troy paused. "Don't take this the wrong way but – I guess since I haven't had you around during my basketball life before – I never really thought that you would be a presence that I would rely upon for the purpose of my game. I knew that I'd miss you, I'd miss hanging with you and talking to you. But it's like… the last few months have just been this… this amazing and yet scary adventure into discovering stuff about myself that I never really knew was there. Being in this world… it made me think and reflect about myself and whenever I do that, it's scary. And the first person I've been able to turn to, in order to sort out all of my feelings… well, it's been you. And so, by association, I just really, really, really needed you here."

Troy trailed off, realising how mushy and deep his little reflection had become. He cleared his throat, avoiding making eye contact with her.

"Hey," Gabriella said softly, trailing her index finger along his smooth cheek. "It's okay. I get exactly what you mean. I think that's what it's like when you're first in a serious relationship. I mean, I used to go through my life without you. And I know I did fine with it. But now, I can't imagine life without you in it. I don't know how I would be able to do the simplest things, like brush my hair or eat my toast of a morning, without knowing that you're a part of my life."

"I'm sure you'd manage to brush your hair," Troy said cheekily.

"I wouldn't want to though. I'd just lounge around in bed and be depressed," Gabriella said with a small smile. Her tone was playful, but the words she spoke were the truth.

"That's what I felt like doing on Friday morning," Troy confessed. "My alarm went off and I knew I had to get up to go for a run and go to our final training session. But I just didn't want to. It didn't feel right, going to a game which was in so many ways the most important day of my basketball career so far… and yet not having you here."

"But I was here, wasn't I?" Gabriella said teasingly.

"And we're back to just how incredibly grateful I am," Troy murmured, lingering just short of her face, his breath tickling her lips.

Gabriella closed the gap between their lips, a series of lingering kisses being exchanged. Troy opened his mouth slightly to grant the access demanded by Gabriella's light lick along his bottom lip. Tongues caressed and danced and massaged, hands tenderly stroking cheeks and running through hair. The young lovers pulled apart a little breathlessly, staring into one another's eyes with a gaze of complete infatuation.

In that moment in time, Troy felt as though having Gabriella and the Wildcats by his side was the key to being able to achieve everything he wanted, and even more.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Author's Note: As I post this there less than 24 hours until my flight leaves Australia... less than one day. So I leave Australia at 11:30am Wednesday and arrive in Los Angeles at like 11:30am Wednesday. Time differences are fantastic like that haha. I am absolutely freaking out. **

**I've got the rest of this story planned out but I need you guys to understand that at the moment, I have absolutely no idea how frequently I'm going to be online. I can promise you because it's planned out, a lot of it written (roughly, but nevertheless written) - so it will NOT be abandoned. The intention is to continue to update at the same frequency as I have been. I'm not bribing you but your support and words of encouragement will make all the difference when I'm exhausted from a day of exploring and just wanna go to sleep... you'd be surprised how getting really nice feedback puts me into a writing mood! **

**If anyone lives in the Los Angeles or New York City areas, or pretty much ANYWHERE in Europe (I'm seriously planning to go like everywhere!) - feel free to send through your tips and suggestions about where I can get decent coffee or the best bars in town or the cheapest shopping districts or pretty much anything you can advise me about. OH! And where I can buy a HAIRSPRAY poster??? I wonder if they have them at Walmart... I'm so excited about Walmart, the Derby Stallion for $5!! It had better be in stock... I'll stop rambling now. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know your thoughts... pretty please :-)**


	6. Perfect

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART SIX – PERFECT**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

**Author's Note: Hello from Los Angeles… A part of me wants to ramble on and on about Toluca Lake and Jamba Juice… if you WANT to hear about it, ask me. In fact if any of you are like me and obsessed with travelling and would like to hear about my random adventures, I will add you to my e-mail list if you ask nicely. But for here, I'll try to keep it about the fan fiction!**

**I am doing something CRAZILY different here with this chapter. You might hate it and tell me to never attempt anything like this ever again. There is a really important author's note at the end. If you're hating what you're reading, please at least read the AN at the end so you know why I felt the need to write this because I actually think it's fairly necessary. Having read Here With You will provide an enormous amount of context. If you haven't read it, just know that we've seen some of these scenes before, from the Troy perspective.**

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Monday February 20th**

**Santa Fe Preparatory College, Santa Fe, New Mexico**

Ian Jackson was sitting in his senior English class, bored out of his skull. They were studying Shakespeare, AGAIN. Every year, they would cover Shakespeare. Jackson simply couldn't fathom why some dead English guy from hundreds of years ago was so important to the modern classroom. How was Shakespeare ever going to help him in his life?

"Class, if you now would like to break into discussion groups of 4 members, and identify a key list of themes relevant to 'A Mid Summer Night's Dream'," the teacher requested.

Immediately, two of the cheerleaders, Daphne and Pauletta, turned their chairs around, smiling at him alluringly. His mate and starting power forward Jimmy also pulled his chair over.

"So I hear Candice is having a big party on Saturday, might be cool," Jimmy remarked.

"But did you also hear who is being invited?" Daphne intoned. "It's not just Candice's party, it's her sisters party also. Her sister, captain of the sophomore DEBATING team. Talk about LOSER."

"What, you actually think any of those debating geeks would actually want to go to a party?" Pauletta questioned with a smirk. "Jackson, you'll come won't you?"

Jackson glanced up, seeing the teacher was approaching their group as she strode around the room, making sure the groups were talking on topic.

"Well love is the obvious theme, but I guess more important is the loss of individual identity," Jackson said, trying to sound very thoughtful. Miss Kenmore smiled approvingly, and continued to pace around the room, moving away from the group.

"Loss of individual identity?" Jimmy asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I dunno. That's what the back of the book says," Jackson said. "I don't know if I'll be able to make it to Candice's party anyway."

"It's not a party without you there!" Pauletta said with a pout.

"Your first training camp is this weekend, isn't it?" Daphne said, remembering what Jackson had said.

"Assuming I make the team," Jackson said casually. "I don't see why I wouldn't. I mean, I did captain a championship winning team. And all of the college scouts seem to be impressed with my form. Which they should be, because I was shit hot this season."

"When do you find out?" Daphne asked.

"Soon. Coach said the fax is meant to come in around lunch time."

A watched pot never boils, a watched clock never ticks… the saying rang true. Jackson may have sounded calm and aloof about the notion of his selection – the truth was that he was anxious to find out. After what felt like 8 hours, the bell rang signalling the end of English and the beginning of lunch period.

"Ian, you coming to Candice's party on Saturday?" one of the footballers asked Jackson as they headed out of the room.

"It's Jackson. And we'll see."

……………………………………………………………………………

Jackson was standing in front of the hoop in his backyard, practicing some free throws, when he heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening and his father's car pulling up the driveway. A couple of minutes later, his father appeared in the back doorway.

"Did you hear?" Jackson asked.

"I did. The word on the street is that there weren't many decent centres to pick from this season so your selection was pretty much a shoo in."

Jackson closed his eyes, facing away from his father. His fists clenches involuntarily. _'He couldn't just say, 'congratulations' could he?' _Jackson thought.

"You hear about the rest of the team at all?" Jackson queried, trying to remain calm.

"Yes, I brought a packet home for you with details about the other players in your team," Mr Jackson informed his son.

"Who's the other centre?"

"Some kid from Albuquerque. He was the team captain, but they didn't win their championships though. So if you can't beat him out to get the starting position then I'd pretty much say you should give up playing."

Jackson snorted. "Why'd they bother picking him if they didn't win?"

"The captain of the team that beat his team in the championships was also picked. He's a junior…" Mark Jackson proceeded to flick through the papers he was holding, searching for the name. "Bolton. Troy Bolton."

"A junior? They picked a junior?" Jackson asked, dumfounded.

Since his freshman year, Jackson had been working towards being selected for the state team. He knew that it was a crucial first step to making a name for oneself as a formidable player. The previous year, he'd pushed his coach to put his name forward, but was told 'you're just not quite there, next year.' He hadn't even met this Bolton kid, and already he was feeling seething jealousy towards him.

"I hear he's quite good. Point guard. The other boosters had their eye on him all season, next year will tell whether it was just a fluke of a season."

……………………………………………………………………………

**Friday February 24 – New Mexico Roadrunners Training Camp 1 – Albuquerque **

Jackson had spent the first forty five minutes of the team 'meet and greet' barbeque in Albuquerque – hosted by the Bolton family – in relative silence. He'd already bonded with the two guys who were staying at the same place as him – Jamal and Sam. They were similar to him. Fairly casual, laid back. Some of the other guys appeared rather over eager, talking to the coaches, telling elaborate stories about the sweet plays they'd been involved in throughout their home seasons. Jackson preferred to sit back and observe the people around him, in this occasion being his new team mates. He had a flask in his hip pocket. Every time the team coaches and Mr and Mrs Bolton were out of sight, he would bring the flask to his lips, taking a quick swig of the rum that was inside.

This Troy Bolton character, the son of the man who had initiated this barbeque, was no where to be seen. Jack Bolton had said something about a 'school thing' and that'd he'd be home soon. Jackson was already dubious. Son of the coach, a coach who seemed to be rather good friends with Coach Lang. No wonder he was selected in his junior year.

Finally, the kid showed up, all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Jackson observed him across the yard as he interacted with the coaches. Suck up. He didn't even look like a basketballer. A swimmer, a soccer player… hell, a jockey perhaps. But a basketballer?

He was quickly introduced to the group. There was something in the way that Coach Lang had introduced him… as though the kid was the next best thing after sliced bread. 'And THIS wonderful specimen here we've been waiting on is the amazingly brilliant Troy Bolton.' Well that wasn't what Coach Lang had said. But it was the connotation that Jackson perceived.

"So where have you been?" Vincent asked.

"I had a school thing," Troy replied vaguely.

"He was probably at his musical rehearsal," Will said smugly.

Jackson turned to study the other boy from Albuquerque. He too understood the feeling of having a direct rival present. Blake Williams, from Captain High School in Santa Fe, had been one of Jackson's most formidable opponents for years. Santa Fe Preparatory College had narrowly defeated Captain High School in the Santa Fe Championships. Needless to say, there had been slight animosity between the two boys as they both arrived at the Bolton household. So there were two inter city rivalries on the team – Jackson and Blake, and now apparently Troy and Will. Will being the first to take the claws out.

"I was actually," Troy said.

Jackson narrowed his eyes, looking at the kid in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"You're in a musical?" Jamal asked incredulously.

Troy shrugged. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

Jackson had to speak up at this point. Jackson's father had drilled it into him from an early age that if you wanted to be serious about basketball, then you needed to dedicate 110 of yourself to the sport, every second of every minute of every hour of every day. If you gave any less of yourself, then you weren't taking the sport seriously.

"So you were late to our first team meeting tonight because you were off singing and dancing?"

"I didn't even know that y'all were going to be here tonight," Troy said defensively. "If I'd known then I would have come home sooner."

"A musical. That's a bit… girly… isn't it?" Sam commented, accenting the sentence with a snicker.

Jackson glanced around, realising that both Jamal and Sam were also rather dubious of this blue eyed wonder kid. A few of the other guys were also looking sceptical. Jackson's insinuation of his lack of commitment to basketball had hit home with a few of them. A lot of the guys in the team had multiple interests – but found it impossible to pursue anything other than basketball seriously.

"My girlfriend is in the show," Troy replied aloofly.

"And your girlfriend likes singing dancing sissy fags?"

Jackson was renowned at Santa Fe Prep for the lack of a filter between his brain and his mouth. Comments which other people would think and then hold back from saying – they just came out. Sometimes, he didn't even particularly mean them. This was one of those occasions. The minute the words had slipped out of his mouth, he knew he'd gone too far. But Ian Jackson never went back. Once he went down a path – all he could do was keep going.

"Excuse me?" Troy asked incredulously.

"Seriously dude, a MUSICAL? A play, perhaps could be acceptable. But a musical? My mind just goes straight to sissy fags."

"You know what they say about homophobics being the real closet cases!"

Jackson wasn't used to someone biting back when his brain-mouth filter malfunctioned. He was used to comments like 'whatever' or 'fuck off'. So the kid was some elite 'chosen child', he had no commitment to his game AND he had a mouth on him. Suddenly, Jackson didn't feel the need to even attempt to make the filter work. He would say whatever he damn well felt like saying to the kid.

……………………………………………………………………………

Jackson was sitting in the shotgun seat on the way back to this Will Johnson's house. Ironic that Jackson should be placed to billet at the house of the guy who was his top competition to start in his preferred position. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, is that what they say? It seemed like a good plan to execute in the current circumstances. Besides, as the events of the barbeque at the Bolton's had unfolded themselves, it seemed like it might be good having the opportunity to suss out the situation in Albuquerque.

"What do you know about this Bolton kid?" Jackson asked bluntly.

"What you want to know?" Will asked warily.

"Like what the fuck is up with the musical thing?" Jamal spoke up from the backseat.

"I dunno a lot about it. You just hear things in town is all."

"I bet he can't even play," Samuel speculated. "His dad probably just got him on the time. You saw how buddy buddy coach Lang and the little fag's dad were."

Jackson couldn't help but smile at the notion that he'd managed to find himself among likeminded individuals.

"He's actually a decent player," Will said. "He was captain of the team that won the Albuquerque division."

"Big whoop. I was captain of the team that won the Santa Fe division," Jackson said, sounding bored.

……………………………………………………………………………

Sunday February 26 – Post Training Camp 1 

The drive north to Santa Fe after the weekend training Albuquerque was excruciatingly long. Every muscle in Jackson's body ached. He was completely and utterly exhausted, all he wanted to do was collapse into his bed and sleep for about 3 days straight.

Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case. The moment he walked through the front door and his father looked up to greet him, Jackson knew that he was going to be forced to listen to yet ANOTHER lecture.

"What's this?" Mr Jackson questioned, gesturing to the bruise adorning his son's cheek.

"Nothing," Jackson said defensively, turning away.

"You get into some punch up?"

"It's no big deal dad."

"Well, if it's going to jeopardise your career then it IS a big deal Ian!" Mr Jackson said firmly. "Being on this team is a crucial opportunity, and I don't appreciate you going and getting into stupid fights when you should be directing your energy into the game."

"My career? It was one training weekend dad. One of the guys on the team has issues. He took them out on my face," Jackson said defensively.

……………………………………………………………………………

**Saturday March 4 – New Mexico Roadrunners Training Camp 2 – Santa Fe**

"Can you believe they all LIKE him?" Samuel commented in astonishment. "Talk about a turn around from the first training camp. They're all friends with him. Did you Vince and Lee, defending him today, all buddy buddy and joking and laughing?"

"He's such a phoney. A fake. A phoney fake!" Jamal declared.

"Fucking oath," Samuel agreed.

"I couldn't give a fuck whether they like him or not. I'm not here to socialise. I'm here to play basketball," Jackson said firmly. "If Bolton needs to go and round up the team and get them on his side, that just demonstrates what a sissy he really is. Can't stand up for himself."

……………………………………………………………………………

**Sunday March 26 – two days before leaving for Phoenix, Arizona**

Jackson was running on the treadmill in the little gym set up at his house when his father came home, popping his head into the room.

"Come on, a bit more elevation. That's not doing you any good," Mr Jackson said.

He came over to the machine and fiddled with the buttons, increasing not only the elevation but also the speed. Sweat was already pouring down Jackson's face, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

"I talked to Coach Lang today. He said that a few of the boys have been really impressive. He seemed really happy with Spencer, and Bolton is apparently quite the rising star."

"Coach Lang thinks the sun shines out of Bolton's ass," Jackson wheezed in response.

"If you can talk you're not running fast enough," his dad remarked, increasing the elevation further.

Jackson gritted his teeth, put his head down, and continued to run.

……………………………………………………………………………

**Friday March 31 – Night of Match 1 of the South Western Regional Finals**

Jackson and his two friends were walking back to the hostel from the pizzeria in Phoenix. Jackson was fuming, beyond fuming, enraged even. He'd just had yet another run in with Troy.

"Who the fuck does he think he is, shoving me aside?" Jackson spat. "This is a team sport, he can't be the star the whole time."

Sam and Jamal exchanged glances, but didn't say anything, just allowed their friend to rant and rave.

"And now I've got Coach Lang on my case. Fucking perfect. And tonight, trying to look like the hero in front of everyone. Oh please. Pathetic he is, absolutely fucking pathetic. That guy just irritates the SHIT out of me. He's just so fucking perfect that it's fucking disgusting."

"Dude… you did go a bit far though," Sam finally said, very quietly, and even timidly.

"WHAT?!"

Sam glanced at Jamal, as though mentally begging him for some support.

"Well today in the game… come on. It's one thing messing around with the guy during training but…" Jamal began to say.

"Oh, so you're both on his side now?!"

"No!" Jamal insisted.

"We're both on your side. I can't stand whiny little punks like Troy Bolton who waltz through life because they have 'connections'. You don't reckon his dad got him onto this team?" Sam remarked.

"Exactly. They NEVER select juniors for this competition," Jamal added.

"But – you did go too far today. And the dig at his girlfriend… that was low. You don't even know her," Sam said quietly.

"I wasn't dissing her, I was dissing him," Jackson said defensively.

"By suggesting she's a slut?"

"Jesus fuck, I don't have to put up with this. I couldn't give a fuck what you guys think. I don't have to play with the stupid cunt any more, I bet Coach Lang will keep us separated. End of discussion."

……………………………………………………………………………

"What the hell was that today Ian?" Mr Jackson demanded.

After Jackson had returned to the hostel, being shut down not only by Bolton but now feeling rather betrayed by his so called 'friends' on the team, the last thing he'd wanted to see was his father waiting to talk to him. Nevertheless, there he was, and the lecture was inevitable.

"What was what?" Jackson stupidly replied.

"This competition is the most important series of games in your career. This competition is what allows you to set yourself apart as being a true player, a player worthy of attention from scouts and scholarship committees."

Jackson closed his eyes. He was exhausted, and really didn't want to put up with a speech he'd heard a dozen times before.

"I know that."

"Well why are you playing like a retard? You were nowhere near at the top of your game – and what about this shit with Bolton?"

"He started it," Jackson said poutily, like a child.

"Like hell he started it, you were the one antagonising him. If I were that kid I would have done a lot worse to you than shove you aside."

"Do you even care that you're screwing up your chances of a scholarship?" Mr Jackson shouted at his son. "All over some stupid teenage disagreement. You should be BEFRIENDING Bolton, not alienating him. He's one of the best players on your squad!"

"The guy is a tosser!"

"He probably thinks the same thing about you."

"I know he thinks the same thing about me and I couldn't give a shit!" Jackson retorted.

"You should give a shit about whatever the hell is going on with you boys, because you've been playing terribly," Mr Jackson said bluntly. "I doubt you'll even get put onto a college team at the rate you're going."

"Well gee, thanks for the moral support dad, good to know I have you behind me!"

"Well maybe if you showed a little appreciation for all of the time and money I invest into you and your basketball career, then I might support you a little more. I bet Troy Bolton appreciates…."

"I COULDN'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT TROY BOLTON!" Jackson shouted.

……………………………………………………………………………

**Sunday April 2 – Day of Game 3 – Prematch Training Session**

Another day, another disagreement with Bolton. Like clockwork. Inevitable. Like the sun rising.

There was a key exception between the clockwork on that day though. Bolton was right on the money with every word he was saying.

Ian Jackson despised being wrong.

Ian Jackson despised looking like an idiot.

Ian Jackson despised anyone who highlighted he was wrong or made him look like an idiot.

But that didn't change the truth in Bolton's words. That it was affecting the rest of the team. That they were going to lose.

Ian Jackson despised losing.

……………………………………………………………………………

Sunday April 2 – Game 3 Post Match 

Jackson was loitering in the changing room. He was meant to be up the hallway with his team, ready for their debrief. He was procrastinating joining them, for some reason. He'd just played some of his best basketball during the whole competition. The reason for the improvement was obvious. Team sport, rely on you team mates, rah rah rah. Jackson didn't need to have his sudden change in demeanour highlighted even more blatantly than it already was. To actually COOPERATE with the stupid fuck… it was somewhat of a miracle. A miracle that reneged every principle he had been so adamant about maintaining since hearing the two words 'Troy Bolton.'

And so he procrastinated.

A knock came at the door.

"Yeah?" Jackson called.

The door to the locker room creaked open. Mark Jackson poked his head into the room.

"Hi son," Mark said.

"Hi."

"You played a fantastic game today. Really truly great."

Jackson stared at his father. He was waiting for the inevitable 'but', the inevitable piece of criticism which would typically follow such a compliment.

The criticism never came.

"Uh… thanks," Jackson said awkwardly.

"No worries. Did you want to get dinner after your team meeting?"

"Okay."

"Great. Call my cell when you're done."

Jackson stared at the empty space where his father had just been standing; dumbfounded by the compliment, dumbfounded by the offer to spend time together.

……………………………………………………………………………

_Be a good boy_

_Push a little farther now_

_That wasn't fast enough_

_To make us happy_

_We'll love you just the way you are if you're perfect_

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Author's Note: **Okay. So. You guys all really, really, really hated Jackson. Which is good. I needed you to hate Jackson because I was trying to put you into Troy's brain, and be able to appreciate just how frustrated he is with the situation. However now… I need that to change.

My general belief about people is that, in the real world, everyone has a human side. People don't just bully for the hell of it. There is something deeper behind it, whether it be insecurity, or a messed up childhood, or whatever. I'm not saying that this JUSTIFIES the behaviour. But it provides CONTEXT to it.

The spirit of High School Musical and this fandom as a whole is **acceptance**. It's about accepting people for who they are. It's about appreciating that people can come from diverse backgrounds and nevertheless come together and be bound together by our similarities, and that once bound we can learn from our diversities. (Wow, can you tell that I'm really interested in the diversity management part of my HR degree…. Most of you probably don't even know what diversity management is… sigh…) Anyway. All of that might sound wanky but… well… this is High School Musical after all!

I might be writing a story which departs from typical Disney style, but with this story I really wanted to be able to remain true to that core message of the movie. Therefore, the resolution to this issue between the boys isn't going to be Troy emerging as the superior being. It's not going to be Gabriella punching Jackson out like a few of you seem in favour of. That's not solving an issue.

Notice I haven't written some elaborate backstory where Jackson is being physically abused or he goes home and cries every night or… something like that. I'm not suggesting that Jackson is going to become best friends with Troy. I'm not suggesting that a character can make a complete change just through a single conversation or argument. However in order for me to bring this plot line full circle, in order to reach a true resolution – I can't have you all just hating Jackson. There needs to be that **tiny part of you** that understands why he is the way he is. So that when things come around full circle, it's believable, it's real. And also remains in line with the spirit of this fandom. That's all I really want – that tiny part, that tiny glimpse of understanding into the psyche that is Jackson.

So right now, more than ever, I want to know – who actually read the whole of this chapter, and what were your thoughts? Who gave up halfway through and followed my instruction to come down and read the AN? How do you feel about Jackson now? Did you just think it was pointless and you're here upset thinking 'where's my Troyella'?


	7. Blame The World, But Never Blame You

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART SEVEN – BLAME THE WORLD, BUT NEVER BLAME YOU**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them.**

**Author's Note: Thank you all so so so so so so so times infinity much for your support and patience and feedback in general; and also specifically your openmindedness in relation to the last chapter of this story. **

**I really hope this uploads okay. I flew from NYC to Prague today and this computer has all of the functions in Czech; and also I can't use my USB. So I've just used the version I had in my e-mail from sending to my beta reader, and I lost a bunch of formatting. It's not letting me save my little fullstops that I use to divide chapters so I'm doing a ZEZEZE to divide it. I'll edit it to be consistent with the rest of the story when I'm on a real computer instead of this toy thing. **

**There's a bit of Troyella for you here... not what you're all wanting I realise; but just keep in mind that I have very specifically stated more than once that this story is Troy centric.**

**ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE **

The New Mexico Roadrunners were gathered around in a conference style of room. The previous afternoon marked their win against the California Elks. They were scheduled to begin their in depth debrief of the previous days game, and then begin preparations for their quarter final, which was scheduled for the following morning at 11am. 

Troy was seated between Will and Vince, the boys engaged in a heated discussion about a band which all three boys were huge fans of.

"I'm telling you, Parachutes was legendary. Don't Panic is genius, not to mention Shiver and Yellow…" 

Troy was interrupted by Will. "Rush of blood man, come on, The Scientist? And Clocks?"

"Well you have to agree that both Rush of Blood and Parachutes shit all over X&Y," Vince pointed out.

"Word," Will said, nodding in agreement.

"Okay guys, let's get started," Coach Lang called out, entering the room and interrupting the random conversations. "General thoughts, what went well, what didn't? Open floor."

The boys proceeded to discuss the match, predominantly in chronological order discussing each quarter in turn.

"That shot Bolton got in after the Kenny's flex in the third was the bomb," Bradin said approvingly. 

"The guys set it up well," Troy said. He paused before adding the following comment. "Jackson was on the ball with the basket cut."

He glanced across the room at Jackson, seeing if he showed any reaction to Troy's compliment. His face remained expressionless.

"Jackson, you were on fire yesterday man," Blake said.

"Your stats are impressive," Coach Lang said. "A lot of you can learn from a lot of what Ian executed yesterday. You don't have to be scoring dozens of points for your contribution to be the most effective."

"I didn't do anything different to what I normally do," Jackson said aloofly.

"You cooperated more," Will said under his breath, but audible to those either side of him.

The conversation continued, and following the debrief the boys were given fifteen minutes to change into their workout gear and meet out the front of the building to head to their training court.

"Well, wasn't that just a giant 'Jackson is the shiz' session," Will remarked.

"Well yesterday he was the shiz," Troy responded blatantly.

"He didn't even look grateful for people complimenting him or anything."

"What's he supposed to say, gee guys, that's awfully nice of you?"

"Why are you defending him suddenly?"

"It's not about attack or defence. All I want to do is move on from all of this bullshit. When he and I actually cooperated out there yesterday, do you know how incredibly astounded I was? I don't wanna fuck with that."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE 

The guys had a two hour work out before lunch, doing drills and then breaking into two teams to play a full game. Following lunch break, they were gathered back in the conference room to hear Coach Lang's decision about the starting line up. After the previous day's game going so well, it was more or less expected that very little was to change.

Expectations are nasty things. More often than not, they won't be met. Providing a pleasant surprise for some. And a nasty awakening for others.

"Okay, so tomorrow we're up against the Arizona Cats. Not only do they have the obvious home team advantage, but these guys are really, really good," Coach Lang said ominously. "I think the most important thing will be that we come out of the blocks with a really fantastic offense and get some points on the board quickly. Once these guys get on a roll, they keep going and they'll have the crowd support to maintain their morale."

"So we get Bolton out there and get some baskets yeah?" Vince said.

"Dude, I'm not the only person capable of making baskets here."

"You do have the highest average points per minute played," Elijah said.

Troy shrugged. He knew that he was a good player, but he felt a little uncomfortable having his talent highlighted. 

"On that note, our starting point guard for tomorrow will be Troy," Coach Lang said.

Troy glanced over at Bradin.

"It's cool man, you deserve it," Bradin said, nodding. "They're right, you're the best guy to get out there to get some points on the board."

Coach Lang proceeded to go through the other four members of the starting line up. 

"And as centre, I'm going to put Will in as starter," Coach Lang said.

"Me?" Will asked dumbfounded.

"You and Troy were playing spectacularly together, we all agreed on that this morning," Assistant Coach Kirkpatrick said.

"And a lot of the plays we want to focus on in the opening quarter use your point guard to get the basket, and rely on the centre to be the pick."

"Right. Okay then."

The room was filled with tension. The glare which Jackson was shooting in Will's direction was deadly, and not lost on anyone.

"Why don't we break for five minutes, and then come back to discuss some of these plays before we get out there and start training again," Coach Lang said.

The guys all proceeded to stand to go outside. Jackson remained seated, arms folded. Troy glanced behind him, watching as Coach Lang approached the sour expressioned boy, sitting beside him. 

The yearning curiousity got the better of him. When the erst of the guys disappeared down the hallway, Troy remained waiting outside.

"Bolton, you coming with?" Bradin asked.

"Uh, just wanna talk to Coach," Troy said casually. When the team was out of sight, his ear was pressed up against the door.

"My dad isn't gonna be happy with you," Jackson said sourly.

"Your dad is the one who said that Troy should be in the starting line up. And you and I both know that the combination will be more effective with Will starting."

"Bull shit. I play better than him. I shoot better."

"That's not the strength that I need from my centre in the opening minutes tomorrow," Coach Lang said tactfully.

"No. It's about all the shit with Bolton."

It fell silent for a moment.

"Ian, you've been coming to watch this competition for years with your dad. I know that you know that the starting line up is not a reflection of talent or ability, at least not at this level. In your high school teams, you each stood out as one of the clear stars of your team. You would have been amongst a group of four, five or six others who were clearly superior players than the rest of the team. In that situation, your coaches would have been trying to make sure each of you was playing for the maximum number of minutes possible. Here, I have twelve outstanding players who each have a potential to go a long way in this sport. Your strengths and weaknesses are complementary; they allow me to use a broad range of tactics in response to our opponents."

"You're sugar coating this very well Coach Lang."

Coach Lang's patience was being tested, but he remained calm and didn't react to the boys blatant rudeness.

"Ian, I was genuinely very impressed with your last game. No, it doesn't have anything to do with this shit with Bolton as you put it. I know that you both made an effort last game to put it behind you. The decision wasn't about you. It's about your opposition and their stars and the tactics they are likely to employ. I believe that the Troy/Will combination will be important in the opening sector of the match, that it is our best tool to establish ourselves as formidable opponents."

"Whatever," Jackson muttered.

"You're a great player Ian - obviously you've inherited something from your fathers genes. I won't pretend to know you or judge you or analyse you because I'm not a psychologist. But I will tell you that this kind of crap will not be tolerated in the real world. You have talent, and I know you appreciate other players have talent and that in a team sport, you rely on that fact. I've been dealing with teenage boys for decades; I get that there is peer pressure and cliques and wariness of people who are different. In less than six months, when you're in college, a lot of that disappears. If you don't change your outlook, you'll find no one will want you in a team."

The room went silent. Troy pressed his ear up to the door closer, trying to hear what was going on. The door opened a moment later Troy nearly falling into the room.

"Eavesdropping isn't a good look Bolton," Jackson remarked, closing the door behind him.

Troy looked a little sheepish. "Uh…. I was waiting to talk to Coach."

"Whatever. You happy now? You got what you wanted."

"What I wanted? What the fuck are you on? I just wanna play basketball. Seriously, what is your problem?" Troy exclaimed. "This has gone beyond you thinking I'm a sissy fag for being in some stupid musical. I thought after yesterday maybe you'd decided you wanted to get over it, but obviously I was mistaken."

"You want to know what my problem is? You REALLY want to know what my fucking problem is? Right then. You are everything that I despise. I hadn't even met you and I felt like I knew your entire playing history. You're not the only one whose father is into basketball. My dad works for the athletics department at the University of New Mexico. The university assisted in the selection of our team – and no, I might add, my father was NOT a part of the selection panel. He came home the day I found out I was selected with pages and pages of information about all of you guys. He didn't CONGRATULATE me on being selected – instead he proceeded to point out who the people were to look out for on the squad. That was Day 1 for me, and he was going on about this kid from Albuquerque, this junior, who everyone was so impressed with, who has a killer jump shot, who has so much potential, blah blah blah blah puke. You are fucking amazing and you don't give a flying fuck about it. You just prance around singing in musicals, making out with your girlfriend, getting drunk with your mates. I have to work twice as hard to be half as good as you! "

"Are you done?" Troy asked evenly.

"For now."

Troy paused, and then began to speak very carefully, very deliberately.

"I don't presume to know you or to judge you, and I think it's fucked up that you act like you know me when you don't know a thing about my life. I know that I have talent, I've had that drilled into me since I was like seven years old when my dad first handed me a basketball. Since that day, that's all it's been from him, wow Troy you really are good at this, don't waste that talent, how about some extra training. But I work my fucking ass off to make the most of it. Especially in the lead up to this competition. I've been training every single day. I hardly see my girlfriend except in school. I can hardly remember the last time I was drunk with my mates. If I was Will, if I was the other centre, or if you were point guard, maybe I'd understand why you're showing such animosity toward me. It's not MY problem that you're cut that Coach picked Will instead of you. That you're the one who started this whole set of fucked up shit between us. It could have been you and me out there starting. If you wanna blame someone, take a look in the mirror."

"I don't want to blame someone you fuckwit!" Jackson exclaimed. "I'm just pissed off. Are you trying to tell me that I'm not allowed to be pissed off? Weren't you cut when you weren't put in the starting team? It bites. Not everything is about you!"

"If not everything is about me then why were you here going on about how you despise people like me?"

"Because there are two separate issues. That I don't like you is one. And that I'm pissed about the starting line up is another!"

Troy sighed. "Look. This is just going around in circles. Are we on the same page that we want to win?" Troy said quietly.

"Of course I fucking want to win."

"Then let's end this shit right now, agree to not like each other, and move on."

"In case you hadn't noticed from yesterday, I was willing to do that anyway," Jackson said, rolling his eyes. "I just don't feel the need to discuss it like a pair of chicks."

Troy gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the fact that again Jackson was questioning his masculinity. He held out his hand.

"Whatever. It's over then."

Jackson glanced down at Troy's outstretched hand, warily taking it and shaking it briefly.

"Okay. Done. Forgotten."

You can never forget.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE 

The team was given a couple of hours over dinner time off, and requested they meet back at 8 for a couple of hours to study some tapes of the Cats previous games. Troy was quick to arrange to go to his parent's motel room again for dinner. 

"So I'm in the starting line up tomorrow as point guard," Troy said casually, taking a mouthful of salad.

"Like you should have been from the beginning," Jack remarked.

"That's awesome dude," Jason declared.

"Who else did Lang pick?"

"Blake, Vince, Lee and Will."

"Will? The Knight? Man I hate that kid," Chad said.

"You guys played really well together yesterday though," Zeke commented.

"Yeah. Guess that's why we're starting."

"No Jackson?" Gabriella remarked.

Troy shook his head. "No. He wasn't impressed."

"I can imagine," Taylor said.

"We had words."

"You and Jackson had words? Isn't this boy the centre? What's it to do with you?" Lucille asked.

Troy cleared his throat, his mother having no idea of the depth of the situation at hand. "Just coz the reason Will was picked was because he and I play well together. If I hadn't been picked, it would have been Jackson for sure."

Lucille raised her eyebrows. She didn't believe a word of it. She knew her son had been thrown out of a game because of a disagreement with this boy. Obviously there was more to it. Nevertheless, she let it slide, but made a mental note to discuss it with her husband and see if he knew more.

Troy stood up abruptly after finishing his dinner. "I should go. Videos to analyse and all."

"Don't forget to take my notes," Jack said, motioning to the pages of notes he'd made about the Cats to assist Troy's team. Notes in addition to those he'd already provided Troy the previous night. 

"Right. Thanks."

"Do you want me to walk you back?" Gabriella offered.

Troy shook his head. "No, because then you have to walk back alone."

"So? It's just up the road."

"Don't care," Troy said firmly.

Gabriella looked a little put out, which Troy sensed.

"You can walk me downstairs though," he offered with a charming smile.

"Okay," she said agreeably.

"Thanks for dinner again. See y'all tomorrow," Troy said, waving.

Troy took Gabriella's hand as they walked in silence down the hallway and to the elevator. 

"Troy? Are you okay?" Gabriella asked softly, as the elevator doors closed.

Troy sighed. There was no getting past his girlfriend. 

"I'm a bit nervous is all," he said vaguely.

"I don't think you need to be."

"You get nervous before every exam you do even though you're like an actual genius. I don't think you're one to suggest I shouldn't be nervous," Troy said teasingly.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. The elevator doors opened on the ground level, and they proceeded to walk out the front door and to the footpath, where they paused.

"Are you more nervous than normal?" Gabriella queried.

"Well yeah. I guess there's more pressure, you know? I'm in the starting line up with the specific intention of me being able to make a whole heap of baskets. It shouldn't just be about me but… I guess it feels like it is."

Gabriella brought her hand up to cup his cheek. "I know you can do this. Play the game I know you've wanted to play since getting here."

Troy nodded, biting his lip. "I have to do it Gabi… I'm so glad I've got the chance but… if I can't do it then… I dunno what I'd do."

Troy glanced at his cell phone, checking the time. "I have to go," he said regretfully.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around him tightly in a warm hug.

"I know you can do it Wildcat," she whispered. "And I'll be there cheering you the whole time." 

As they pulled away, their lips met in a soft kiss. 

"Maybe you could wear a sexy little cheerleading outfit?" Troy suggested coyly, his lips lingering not far away from hers.

"Wouldn't that distract you?" Gabriella asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hmm… true. And the other guys would be looking at you. Scratch that plan. Just be you and that's all I need."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE**  
**

**Tuesday**

**Quarter Finals**

**New Mexico Roadrunners v Arizona Cats**

A part of Troy felt nervous, beyond nervous, terrified. A lot of what they had planned fell to him. It was a scary strategy. Sure there were back ups, if he was double-teamed get the ball out to Vince, and such. But he knew that in eth minds of most of the team – they needed Troy at his absolute best. Hence the heart pounding, knees wobbling, hands trembling nervousness.

But then there was another part of Troy who just knew that he could do it. Basketball was what he lived and breathed. It was in his blood. He was born to do it.

And finally, he had his shot. His shot to prove to everyone that he was worthy of this position. He had his shot to play the game not restricted by the issues and dramas which had tainted previous matches. 

Finally – he could play it his way.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE 

Troy, Will, Blake, Vince and Lee jogged out onto the court, ready to begin their first finals match as a part of the starting line up for the New Mexico Roadrunners. The roar from the crowd was deafening. Playing the home team, they knew the majority of the roar was in response to the Arizona Cats who had also run out onto the court. Nevertheless, the New Mexico contingent was loud and proud. 

Jackson was sitting on the sideline, arms crossed. It was the first time in two years that he had not been a part of a starting line up. The kid was good. He hated to admit it, but you would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not realise that the kid was really, really good. And the combination they had going on the court was absolute magic. 

Jackson didn't often feel regret in his life, he was a live in the moment and don't regret the past type of person. But in that moment, he felt the slightest morsel of regret. That could have been him out on the court. If the issues hadn't arisen, the assumption was that Jackson and Troy would have been in the starting line up, as centre and as point guard. They could have worked hard together to build their game. 

The score was tight, the two teams spending the first quarter tousling for the lead. The quick quarter time break was spent quickly devising an advanced play that they thought would work well against the weaknesses of the Cats. 

Two minutes into the second quarter, the Roadrunners had their opportunity to put the play into motion. Jackson watched in amazement as the play was being executed to perfection. 

As Bolton darted around a defender to make himself open, one of the Cats shoved him, as the ball came sailing towards them. 

Jackson watched as, in one moment, Bolton was pivoting to place himself ready to receive the pass; and then the next, the force of the shove from the opposing player sent his leg twisting in an abnormal direction, threw him off balance and sent him crashing to the floor. 

He heard the groan of pure anguish. He watched the contorted expression of pain on Bolton's face, his eyes tightly shut as he lay still, clutching his left thigh in agony. 

**To be continued…**


	8. Gimme Room To Think

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART EIGHT – GIMME ROOM TO THINK**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them.**

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the evil cliffhanger last chapter. I was going to wait a little longer to post this because I really have no idea when I'll have the next one up, I only just managed to find an internet cafe that would cooperate with allowing me to upload files onto ff . net because this hotel has no USB access. Also, this chapter is pretty long, but I know the next couple of chapters are on the shorter side (by my standards) so yes'm...

Also, just thank you so much to everyone for your continual support, I feel bad that I've gone from being a consistent every couple of days updater to them being so random. But I'm sure you can appreciate why!

And also a shoutout to my beta reader emptrajan... as always, your assistance makes my work so much better than it would be otherwise!

Finally - there's a bit of an AN about the plot direction I took here so again, if you're reading and unhappy, make sure you read my little set of justifications!

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy collapsed onto the surface of the court, rolling onto his right hand side. He was clutching at his left thigh with both of his hands, eyes squeezed tightly shut as he tried desperately to ignore the searing, burning pain up the back of his left thigh.

"Troy!" Lee called, as he leaned over his team mate.

Troy sensed the presence of other bodies leaning over him, but at that moment he didn't particularly care. Opening his eyes was an effort he didn't particularly want to make.

"Give him some air," Coach Lang said. "Troy, open your eyes for me."

Troy opened his eyes, gritting his teeth, seeing that everyone had backed off a little, and only Coach Lang was crouched beside him. "I think it's my hamstring," he croaked.

"The medic is coming, we'll find out for sure. How bad is the pain? Scale of 1 – 10."

"11," Troy responded grimly.

"Okay. Let's get you to the sideline."

Coach Lang and Coach Kirkpatrick hauled Troy off the ground. Standing on his right foot, Troy collapsed into the wheelchair they had waiting. The medic was on the sideline waiting with ice and a compression bandage.

"Bradin!" Troy hissed. Even in his present pain filled, slightly dizzy from the fall state – Troy's mind was still on the game, and he was aware that Coach Lang would send Bradin back out as point guard. "They're building toward a triangle defense, they knew I was doing well from the perimeter. Use your guys on the inside, don't try to do it all yourself."

Bradin nodded. "I got that. It's sweet Troy."

The medic, meanwhile, was gently probing Troy's leg to test for levels of tenderness and pain. Troy consequently yelped in response.

"I think we should take you out the back so I can examine it properly," Doctor Caplin said.

"No!" Troy cried, in a panic. "I'll just sit and watch with ice and massage it for a bit, it'll come good."

Doctor Caplin examined him carefully. "Okay. Your call. Keep your leg elevated compressed, and iced. I'll come back during the halftime break."

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

By halftime, the small lead the Roadrunners had built was lost, and they were trailing by 10 points. The boys filed off the court after the half time whistle blew, preparing to head into the locker room briefly. The dejected appearances on their faces did not bode well for the remainder of the match. Troy stood up tentatively to join them, at first leaving all of his weight on his right leg, and then tentatively placing weight onto his left leg.

"Holy fuck!" he gasped, his leg nearly buckling under him as he placed pressure on it.

Vince had been standing right next to Troy, and grabbed a hold of him, helping him to balance.

"Just use the wheelchair Troy," Vince said gently.

"I'm not a cripple, I don't want to use the fucking wheelchair," Troy snapped.

"Bolton, just use the fucking chair," Jackson piped up gruffly. "I spent half my freshman year on the sideline with a hamstring injury because I was too stubborn to rest it properly."

Troy sighed, but nevertheless allowed Vince to help him into the chair. Vince moved to grab a hold of the handles to push him, but Troy batted his hands away.

"My arms are fine."

A quick discussion about strategy for the remainder of the game was held. Troy continued to massage his leg throughout the session, mentally telling himself that it was magically going to come right in time for the second half. Following their strategy discussion, the boys were given a few minutes to themselves, some taking a quick bathroom break, others stretching, others sitting quietly in a corner, eyes closed.

Doctor Caplin entered the locker room and went over to where Coach Lang was standing observing Troy from a distance. Once again, sat up from his chair and went to tentatively press weight on his foot. He saw the wince of pain on Troy's face.

"Troy, you're not going back out there," Coach Lang said firmly.

"But I swear it's better than it was…"

"I don't care. I won't be putting you back out there."

"Well I'm going back out to watch," Troy insisted quietly, looking at the doctor. "It's not gonna do any harm waiting for another half hour or so is it?"

Doctor Caplin shook his head. "No, but same as I said before. Elevated, ice, compressed. I'll be watching the game as well and I'll have my eye on you. If I see you try to stand up on it again, I'll come retrieve you myself."

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

It was painful – both physically, and mentally – sitting on the sideline and being unable to assist. Particularly as the losing margin simply increased further and further as the game went on.

At first Troy tried to play an active role assisting the coaches in mentoring and directing plays. However he soon gave up, and just slumping down into the wheelchair, and focused on making sure his leg was being properly attended to.

The boys trudged off the court after the final buzzer sounded. It wasn't only a loss. It was a tournament ending loss. Needless to say, morale was considerably low. They held a short debrief, making an appointment to meet later that day as a team to go over the game in greater detail. Coach Kirkpatrick approached Troy sympathetically as the session wrapped up.

"Come on," he prompted. "I'll take you up to Doctor Caplin's office. Get your leg looked at properly."

As he had previously with both Will and Vince, Troy refused to allow Coach Kirkpatrick to push him. He wheeled himself up the hallway, following the Coach and turning left into the office. Doctor Caplin was waiting patiently, along with Jack and Lucille Bolton, and also Gabriella and Chad.

"Why haven't you had it looked at yet?" Jack Bolton demanded immediately.

Troy stared at his father. "I was with my team."

"How bad is it man?" Chad asked sympathetically.

"It could be worse I guess," Troy said, trying to sound optimistic. "I could've hit my head when I fell and been knocked unconscious."

"You look pale. Do you feel faint? Or like you have a fever?" Gabriella fussed, bringing her hand to his forehead.

"Gabi, chill, it's just going to be a hamstring or something. In the larger scheme of life, no biggie," Troy said, trying to sound casual.

"A hamstring injury is a big deal for you," Gabriella said softly.

Gabriella and Troy made eye contact. She saw through his bravado.

She didn't need a degree in sports medicine. Gabriella's basic knowledge of human anatomy was enough. She knew that for an athlete, a bad hamstring injury can begin a plague of lifelong hamstring problems.

"As much as I love to examine my patients with an audience, could I ask everyone but Troy to wait outside?" Doctor Caplin asked politely.

The examination was relatively standard. The doctor felt the muscles and bones around not only the immediate hamstring area but also on Troy's entire leg, pelvis and lower back. He identifies levels of pain and tenderness. He had Troy complete a series of flexing and extending leg movements, to determine which motions create pain, weakness or tightness.

"Do you want them all back in for the verdict?" Doctor Caplin asked.

"Well, they're gonna hear eventually, may as well save my breath," Troy said, shrugging his shoulders.

Jack, Lucille, Chad, Gabriella, Coach Kirkpatrick and now also Coach Lang came in.

"We're looking at a hamstring strain, likely a Grade 2 strain," Doctor Caplin said.

"So, what, a few hours elevated with ice?" Troy asked casually.

"I'm afraid it's a bit more complex than that, especially when dealing with an athlete," Doctor Caplin said regretfully. "There are a series of stretches and exercises which I'll take you through in a minute. I want these to be repeated about five times daily for the next three to five days. When you're not exercising – it's RICE. Do you know what…"

"Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation," Troy listed in a bored tone.

"Okay then. After the first few days, pain permitting, you move onto a second series of exercises, again, being repeated five times daily with RICE the rest of the time. Once these exercises can be completed without pain – which should be in about a week, a week and a half – you can move onto stage three exercises."

"How long til I'm all good to go again?" Troy asked. "A week or two?"

"As long as it takes to work through the injury. If it takes longer than a week to move past the level 2 exercises, I would recommend you have an MRI to make sure the injury isn't worse than a grade 2."

"Seriously though, just give me your ball park figure, how long?"

Doctor Caplin sighed. "I'd say you'll have about a month to a month and a half without any strenuous sporting activity."

Troy stared at him. "I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. A month? A MONTH? To begin with, I study PE at school. And… and basketball is MY LIFE. And…"

"It's all good man, it's the off season now, officially," Chad said, trying to comfort his friend.

"But I'm not just talking about competitive basketball. Last off season, did that stop us from playing all the time? And… and I wanted to keep training… and…"

"Troy, this is how you create permanent injuries. Of all people, I know that you don't want that happening," Coach Lang said.

Doctor Caplin sensed that Troy wasn't taking him very seriously.

"Troy, listen to me," he said firmly. "Your coach is right. If you want me to give you the medical reasoning behind it to back up what I'm saying, I can. But right now is NOT the time to be letting pride and just plain stubbornness force you into activity you shouldn't be engaging in. If you follow these rules by the book, then there is no reason why the injury should plague you, or that it should reoccur. Athletes have reoccurring problems when they don't let injuries heal properly in the first place. So when I say rest – I mean rest. During level 1, other than these exercises – you don't walk on that leg. I want you to use a wheelchair for the next 24 hours, and then after that crutches only as a method of moving a very short distance. And when I say a month without strenuous physical activity – I mean a month. I don't care if there's some dance party, or a school hiking field trip, or if the Queen of England flies into town and asks you to play one on one basketball against her. I don't care. You don't do it."

"Yeah yeah I get it," Troy said glumly.

"If as a young exercise junkie you feel the need to stay active, there's no reason why you can't keep doing upper body weights. If you're a member of a local gym, go and talk to a properly accredited trainer about doing some hydrotherapy – just make sure they are qualified and are familiar with proper rehabilitation exercises."

"What about golf? Golf isn't strenuous," Troy said hopefully. "It's just standing there."

The doctor sighed. "Give it at least two weeks off. If you're going well with your level 3 exercises, incorporate your golf. USE YOUR BUGGY, especially if you're playing a full 18 holes."

Troy nodded. "Okay."

"I'm also going to prescribe you with a NSAID – which is a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug – and also some muscle relaxant. I want you to take both of these throughout stage one and two, and then just the NSAID in stage three."

"You'll get a full print out with all of this information, but Jack, you're probably familiar with all this."

Jack Bolton nodded. "Sounds fairly by the book to me."

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

After leaving the sports complex, the first major problem became evident. Troy's room at the hostel was on the fourth floor. There was no elevator. He'd been given a set of crutches, but Doctor Caplin's strict instruction to use the chair for 24 hours was ringing in Lucille Bolton's ears, and she insisted that there was no way Troy was going to attempt to traverse three flights of stairs on crutches.

"Why don't we just find out if we can get another room at our motel?" Jack suggested.

The decision was made to take Troy back to the motel, and to wheel him into the girls bedroom which was on the ground level, whilst Jack and Lucille went to explore the option of acquiring an additional room. Chad and Zeke assisted Troy in standing from the wheelchair and collapsing onto Gabriella's bed. Meanwhile Gabriella fluffed pillows behind Troy's back, examined the cold compress, and brought over a glass of iced water.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked urgently.

"All you need is a hot little nurse outfit Gab," Chad remarked, eliciting chuckles from both Zeke and Jason, and even cracked a smile from Taylor. Both Troy and Gabriella ignored the statement. Troy shook his head, and patted the bed next to him.

"Just come sit here."

Gabriella softened and came and sat by him, taking his hand in hers.

"Are you still in pain?" Taylor asked Troy.

"Yeah, but not as bad as before. Helps that I'm not moving it. Plus, I'm on a painkiller now, and whatever is in it, it's making me feel slightly woozy and possibly a little euphoric," Troy remarked.

Lucille and Jack returned not long after, their expressions enough to indicate that the situation wasn't promising.

"Well?" Gabriella asked.

"It's booked out here… there's a few options left though so it's all good," Jack said, trying to sound optimistic.

"We're working on the assumption that you all want to stay for the remainder of the competition," Lucille said.

The teens all exchanged looks.

"Whatever is best for you and Coach, Mrs B," Chad said, speaking on behalf of the group. "If it's best that we leave that's cool. I hear Scott's having a party on Friday night. And it's not like we've never seen a basketball game before!"

"What are the options?" Taylor asked, always trying to look at things from a logical, weighing up the alternatives perspective.

"Being spring break, and this competition on, particularly in this part of Phoenix it appears that there aren't a lot of rooms available anywhere. Jack and I have no problem with relocating to somewhere on the other part of town – and the management here are very understanding and because they presently have a lot of demand coming from parents who have come into town for the finals, we will be able to get a refund on the rooms we've paid for. If we relocate, the problem will be that we will be further away from the competition. Practically, driving backwards and forward through Phoenix isn't the ideal, and won't be particularly comfortable for Troy."

"Can I have an opinion here?" Troy enquired.

"Of course sweetheart."

Troy had been listening patiently to his mother's musings. He had resigned himself to the concept that he was going to be sitting around doing nothing. Staying in Arizona for him was going to be even more painful than returning home – at least at home, he had access to his computer and video games and DVD's. He wouldn't mind staying to watch, and he knew that it would be good experience to stay to watch the final – but the truth was that the concept was also rather depressing. Watching a final that he so desperately wanted to be a part of.

He knew that the boys and his father would all be for staying, he knew that his mother would enjoy the time on vacation and that Gabriella and Taylor had been talking about going to some science museum the following day. The return trip to New Mexico wasn't going to be particularly comfortable regardless of whether he waited to go with his team on the bus after the competition, or with his family.

For the first time in weeks, Troy wasn't acting towards the greater benefit of attaining a goal. He wasn't accommodating someone else's need. He was making a request of something he wanted. His vulnerability was evident. His exhaustion was evident.

"I wanna go home."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Lucille had been hesitant to allow Troy to attend the team debrief. However he very stubbornly insisted that his presence was mandatory. A few hours later, as Jack and Lucille proceeded to organise the logistics of the return trip home, Chad, Zeke and Jason took great pleasure in wheeling Troy back up the street the few blocks away where the team was meting. Wheeling perhaps is not the correct term. Rather, crazily wheeling like madmen at a speed which would horrify Lucille Bolton if she knew just how fast the boys were running.

"Oh look, the cripple has arrived," Lee jeered good naturedly, as Troy wheeled himself into the conference room.

"Glad you find making fun of my state entertaining," Troy remarked.

"Have to take my entertainment where I can get it," Lee replied.

"You sticking round for the rest of the tournament?" Bradin asked Troy.

Troy shrugged. "I don't think so, think we're gonna head back to Albuquerque. My parents are sorting it all now."

The two coaches entered the room, armed with paperwork and video tape. Coach Lang didn't waste any time with small talk.

"Okay guys, thanks for coming today. I know that it's always depressing doing these things after a loss, especially a season ending loss. And I also know that for you guys, it's easy enough to think that you'll never have to play together again so why bother. But I can assume that you all want to take your ball to another level, to start with at college. So we're going to go over this afternoon's game in just as much, if not more detail, than we usually would. And try to make a positive learning experience out of an otherwise depressing event. Any objections?"

None of the boys spoke.

"Okay. So. What went wrong?"

Bradin was the first to supply an answer. "That jackass from the Cats shoved Troy and made him fall?"

"There are twelve players on this team, not just Troy. We quickly changed our line up, we restrategised according to the strengths of that line up. So give me another reason," Coach Lang said firmly.

The room was silent. It was one thing to constructively criticise one another after a win; it was highlighting how they could become even better. But pointing out errors after a loss; well, somehow it felt like it was assigning blame.

"I guess, morale was a big issue. Losing Troy was a huge blow, and mentally we let it be even more of a blow than it should have been. Injuries are a part of sport, the ideal team doesn't rely on one player. But we lost our rhythm and found it hard to recover," Will observed.

"Okay, so it's still my fault," Troy remarked.

Troy's tone was light and jovial. However there was a hitn of belief in his own words.

"Of course it's not your fault," Jackson said gruffly, rolling his eyes. "We fucked up. Not you. We were all over the shop. Accept it."

"That's a little harsh," Blake commented.

"You guys just wanna make yourselves feel better and act like the loss is okay because we lost an important team member. It's not okay. We won't be able to properly analyse the game until you get over that."

"I think that's the wisest thing anyone has said so far today," Coach Lang remarked. "So on that note - what went wrong? Obviously you have some thoughts, Ian."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The debrief went for a gruelling two hours. Troy was exhausted by the end of it, and in need of another dose of painkiller. Fortunately, he called his contingent to inform them that he was done, and Gabriella arrived very efficiently to escort him home.

"Okay, I don't like that mom insists that I need an escort like I'm some incapable moron, but if you get to be with me all the time then I think I can deal with it," Troy remarked.

Gabriella smiled cutely. "I argued with Chad for half an hour to come and get you on my own. First he tried the 'Troy and I have been friends since preschool' act. When that didn't work, he tried the 'you're a girl, you shouldn't be walking up there to get him on your own.' Taylor distracted him with a sandwich when you called your mom and I hightailed it out of there."

"That's Chad, distracted by a sandwich."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Thanks to the elevator in his parents motel, Troy was now seated comfortably on the couch. Gabriella and Taylor were downstairs in their private room meticulously packing up their belongings. In the main unit, the boys had organised their bedroom and bags in record speed. Jack had headed over to the hostel to retrieve Troy's gear, leaving Lucille to organise the master bedroom and delegate cleaning tasks to the boys.

"Mrs B, you do know that these places have cleaners that come in after you leave to clean it all up?" Chad asked tentatively.

"Yes Chad, but I also don't want them thinking that we are complete slobs; and how you boys got that room so filthy in less than a week is completely beyond me."

So Zeke was left holding onto a feather duster, Chad a bottle of surface spray and a cloth, and Jason - who had been slowest to 'shotty not' - was left with toilet duty.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Jack announced as he opened the door.

The majority of the New Mexico Roadrunners team trooped in. Troy glanced around, observing the notable absence of Will. The most surprising presence was Jackson. He was scuffling behind the rest of the group, hands in his pockets and eyes trained on the ground. Nevertheless, he was there.

"What are you lot doing here?" Troy asked.

"You thought you were just gonna leave town without us seeing you? Shame," Bradin said.

Random conversation was held, e-mail addresses and Facebooks and MySpace's exchanged.

"Troy, I'm planning to facilitate a bit of a summer training camp for a list of 'potentials' for next years team," Coach Lang informed him. "I expect you to keep off that leg and let it heal so you'll be there fit and ready to work hard."

"You'll want me again?"

"Well, they say to not count your chickens before they hatch but..." Coach Lang said with a slight nod.

Pleasantries and final farewells were exchanged between each of the guys and Troy. Leaving just one final farewell.

Jackson cleared his throat and stepped forward tentatively, head hanging slightly.

"Bolton."

He held his hand out. Troy glanced down at it slightly warily, then grasped it and shook the older boys hand heartily.

"Jackson."

They were never going to be best friends. There were fundamental differences between each of them which could never be completely overcome. Sometimes, too much has been said and done to allow for complete closure. However, Troy Bolton and Ian Jackson had found the space between their polar opposites. And that was enough.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy was lying back on Gabriella's bed, clutching onto her stuffed monkey Arnie as the girls were still packing up their belongings, over two hours after they had began the process. Chad and Jason were lounging on Taylor's bed, and Jason was sitting on the arm chair in the corner.

"How much do you girls bring?" Jason asked incredulously. "It took us like two minutes to pack."

"You also wore the same pair of jeans the entire time," Taylor replied, wrinkling up her nose.

"I did not! I wore shorts one day!" Jason said defensively.

A tentative knock came at the door. Gabriella went over, opening the door a crack and peering through.

"Oh! Hello," she said, opening the door all the way.

Troy looked up, and saw Will standing in the doorway, clutching onto a jacket.

"Sorry I didn't make it over before. I was with the parental unit. Anyway, uh, I think your dad must have left this behind when he came to get your stuff because it doesn't belong to any of us," Will said a little awkwardly, holding it up for Troy to see.

"Yeah that's mine. You didn't have to bring it over here though."

Will tossed the jacket onto the bed. "Whatever, it's all good. I wanted to come say goodbye and stuff anyway."

"So you're staying in town to see the finals?" Troy queried.

"Yeah, figured I might as well."

Will cleared his throat.

"Listen. I'm sorry I ever said anything to the other guys about you being in that musical," Will said, clearly uncomfortable. "You can be a fucking ballerina for all I care, doesn't change that you're a shit hot player."

Troy blinked, almost not believing that he had heard what he had heard.

"Thanks," Troy said quietly. "Uh… I guess I should thank you for the last few days. You know, letting me touch the ball and shit."

Will shrugged. "Guess I feel responsible. All the shit wouldn't have happened if I'd never said anything."

"Dude. Bridge over water, seriously."

"You do realise that I will now be obliged to inform all the Knights that faking right is your signature?" Will glanced over at Troy's teammates. "You guys are going to have to make sure your captain gets some new moves for next season."

"I'm sure Troy will come up with something," Zeke said casually.

"Damn fucking straight," Troy said with a grin. "Hey… good luck with college and stuff. Wherever you end up."

"Cheers. I uh… guess I might see you round town anyway. Small world and all."

Will took a couple of steps forward, holding out his hand. Troy took it immediately, the boys shaking hands. Will nodded, and strode out the door.

"He seemed nice," Taylor remarked, clueless to the enormity of the conversation.

Chad meanwhile was staring at Troy, his expression partially shocked, partially disgusted.

"Are you like, friends with a **_Knight_** or something now?" Chad asked, emphasising Knight as though it were a dirty word.

Troy returned the stare. "So what if I am?"

"They're… they're… they're KNIGHTS!" Chad spluttered.

"They're just like you and me," Troy said. "Except they live on the west side of town, and wear blue and yellow instead of red and white."

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**Author's note - Okay. I got the impression from some of your reviews that you might stone me if I let him be injured. Can I ask you to trust me? Pretty pretty please? A hamstring injury isn't a major issue if it's treated properly (so my research informs me). And remember that for me, I'm writing this to fill in this huge gap between character development between HSM1 and HSM2. So it all has a direction and a point which I will consolidate and elaborate upon in upcoming chapters, predominantly the very next chapter.  
**

**And see, I didn't leave a cliffhanger here either. So at least if it takes a week or even more for the next one, it's at a good mid stopping point :-) Actually, as pointed out by my beta reader, there is a sense of finality here. Nevertheless, Troy's journey is far from over, the second segment of the story will encompass him consolidating and contemplating everything he has been through. Oh and some cute Troyella stuffs :-P  
**


	9. Live A Lie Again

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART NINE – LIVE A LIE AGAIN**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

**Author's Note: Hello from Liechtenstein... thats right, keep remembering that I dedicate my precious backpacking time and moolah for this damn fandom and damn story. HSM has infected my brain, it is like a damn drug I tell you.**

**I would like to acknowledge hsm07 whose enquiry a while ago as to whether I was going to incorporate plot re. the ACT exams caused a sudden freak out and research bout and realisation that the ACTs (which, contrary to the HSM book series, are typically taken by students in New Mexico and not the SATs) are in fact typically taken at the end of junior year. And so I kinda added an extra element to the story - nothing major, just to me it's important with my whole liking things to be consistent with fact and reality. **

**Additionally, I just want to comment that this chapter is shorter than my usual standards, so too is the next one. But this chapter is also quite important in terms of linking the events thus far to HSM2. **

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The car journey home wasn't the most comfortable situation for Troy, but it was bearable. He sat up the front seat for while, a pile of pillows being placed in the gap on the floor to provide a means for his leg to be elevated. The second half of the journey, he spent up the back with Gabriella and Taylor. The girls placed pillows on their laps, and insisted that he sit sideways leaning against the door with a pillow behind his back, and have his leg elevated on their laps.

After returning to Albuquerque, the first stop was the Bolton household to deposit 'the cripple' as he had been dubbed. Troy now had crutches, which was considerably easier than a wheelchair but nevertheless proved to be rather difficult at times. Tackling the stairs of the Bolton household was a slow process – with Chad as the resident expert, having broken his leg in two places in seventh grade and therefore being well versed in the technique of using crutches.

Jack went to drop off the rest of the kids at home – luckily they all lived right nearby – while Lucille stayed with Troy.

Not that her presence was necessary.

Almost the moment Troy's head hit the pillow, he sank into a deep sleep.

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Troy came downstairs, struggling with the crutches but nevertheless making it down. He found Chad at his dining room table. Sometimes he questioned whether Chad actually lived with them, that was how often he just 'dropped around'.

"It lives," Chad remarked.

"Huh?"

"You've been out of it for over a day man."

"What? Nah, no way," Troy said in disbelief.

"Word. Coach said you woke up for like an hour and ate something not long after we got back, and then haven't woken up since."

"What day is it?"

"Thursday. Just after lunch time."

"Fuck. Oh well. What are you doing oafing around here?"

"Waiting for you to wake up. You just missed the guys, Zeke and Jason took off like a half hour ago. Me and the boys have reorganised your living room."

"You have?"

Chad grinned, and motioned for Troy to hobble into the living room. Evidently, Chad, Zeke and Jason had been hard at work. The Bolton living room had very quickly transmogrified into a teenage boy's heaven. The boys had taken it upon themselves to ensure that the room was laden with a series of PS2 games, DVDs and CDs. They ensured that all relevant remote controls were within grasp. Troy's laptop had been set up downstairs, connected to the household wireless system and ready for World of Warcraft at any given moment.

"Your mom figured you wouldn't wanna go up and down and up and down stairs all day. So, the majority of upstairs has been brought down."

"I can just see that I'm not gonna get rid of you guys for the rest of spring break," Troy remarked, raising his eyebrows as he glanced around at the assortment of entertainment devices. "Well, what's left of it."

"Damn fucking straight," Chad replied.

"Have I really been asleep for that long?"

"Yeah man, do you want me to get you a calendar?"

"Nah. I should call Gabriella. She's probably wondering why I didn't call."

"Oh no, she's been here as well. She tried to leave homework for you but I made her take it away."

Troy chuckled. "That's my Gabi for you. I should call her anyway. Maybe she'll come over now."

"Well she instructed your mom to get you to call her the moment you woke up. And I was told to pass that onto you."

Suddenly, it hit Troy why Chad was actually there. "That's why you're here! You're babysitting while my mom is at work!"

"Babysitting? Chad Danforth does not BABY SIT."

"But my mom didn't want me home alone, I bet," Troy said knowingly. "Where's dad anyway?"

"Staff meeting. Okay yeah she was worried. When she called me and asked me to come over, she was going on about you falling down the stairs.'

Troy rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Yeah. But she did tell us we could eat whatever I wanted from your fridge. And your mom stocks the best fridge. So it was all good. Do you want anything by the way? I was told to ask you if you wanted anything."

"I should milk this, get you to cook and clean for me."

"There's a line Bolton, you be careful you don't tread all over it."

Troy grinned. "Anyway, like I said, I should call Gabi."

"You guys are gonna be all kissy kissy, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

Chad groaned. "Okay. Once she's here, I'm gone then. I'll leave you to it. Maybe you can get her to give you a sponge bath?"

"Chad!"

"Just a suggestion!" Chad said defensively, palms facing forward.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella's mind could not have been further away from kissing and sponge baths. The moment she received Troy's call, she retrieved her large bag of prepacked study supplied and power walked the few blocks away to Troy's house.

She rang the doorbell tentatively.

"IT'S OPEN!" she heard the dual voices of Chad and Troy calling out to her.

She opened the door, lugging her large shoulder bagged filled with textbooks and random notes she had made and acquired from various classes. She found the boys in the living room, where they were each intently in the process of manoeuvring little men to kill other little men via a remote control. She could list the periodic table backwards and perform advanced calculus, but the PlayStation mystified her.

"Hey Gabi," Troy said, a little distracted.

"Why hello," she said, watching in amusement as Troy energetically pressed buttons on the remote - apparantley performing a shooting function. She sat down next to him. The novelty of watching soon wore off, she was soon glancing around the room, examining her chipped pale pink nail polish, waiting patiently for the current round to be complete.

Troy groaned loudly, causing Gabriella's attention to be diverted back to the television screen.

"YES!" Chad shouted.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked cluelessly.

"I lost," Troy said woefully. "You should go easy on me Chad. I'm handicapped here."

"No fucking way. Your hand is fine."

"I find it ironic that two weeks ago, you were pulling all nighters in order to study. And now, you have all the time in the world and are meant to be sitting doing nothing, a perfect opportunity study. And you are mooching around making little men stab one another," Gabriella remarked.

Troy looked at her very seriously, and spoke in a solemn tone. "But Gabi, the fate of the world depends upon these little men stabbing those little men."

"Anyway, so I have notes here from pretty much every one of your classes which you missed last week," Gabriella said, handing him a folder.

"What the fuck? You're not in most of my classes."

"I got other people to take them and I compiled them. Now, the ones for your algebra class, I just got someone to tell me what material was covered and made them myself because the notes I was given by Chad were absolutely ridiculous," Gabriella said pointedly, glaring at him. "Seriously, do you expect to PASS algebra this year? Not to mention be able to score reasonably on the ACTs at the end of the year?"

Chad stared at her. "It's spring break. I don't talk about algebra."

"But Chad..."

"Gabriella. We haven't known each other long, so I'll give you a little leniency. But I will say it one more time - Chad does not talk about algebra during school vacations."

Gabriella sighed. "Fine."

"And on that note, I'm out of here. I'll come back round with the boys later when you two are... done," Chad said, waving his hand about at the paperwork Gabriella was piling onto the coffee table.

Troy looked at Chad a little desperately. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Oh, I don't have to go. I just WANT to go."

"Thanks man. Thanks a lot."

Troy watched after Chad longingly as he exited.

"Troy?" Gabriella said questioningly.

"Yes. Yes you have my complete attention."

"What happened to motivated let's stay up all night and study Troy?" Gabriella queried.

"Maybe he exists within my left hamstring?" Troy suggested.

She rolled her eyes. "Nonsense. What we need here is a system. What if we make a list of goals. And for every goal achieved, fifteen minutes of break time is granted?"

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Gabriella proceeded to designate a series of goals. Chapter 14 Chemistry textbook; English essay outline; Algebra II questions 8.1 - 8.14. At first she was very strict with the enforcement of these goals - setting the timer on her mobile for precisely fifteen minutes as each break time came around. Troy didn't waste a moment of these fifteen minutes. The first two breaks he spent with his PlayStation.

It was on the third break when something hit him. "So this social activity break time… I get to choose this social activity? I can do anything l like?"

"Well... yeah I suppose. Why?"

"Well, I think that you should get some sort of enjoyment out of this experiment. After all, you're giving up your day to help me study."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes. "Troy Alexander Bolton, what on earth are you inferring?"

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers gently. "This is my chosen activity for break time," he murmured, lingering just short of her lips, before kissing her again.

"And, what if I don't consider kissing you to be enjoyable?" Gabriella queried.

"Who said anything about kissing?" Troy asked innocently. "I was thinking more along the lines of making out myself."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, but really didn't have any protest to the suggestion. Soon she was swept up into the magical world of the lips of Troy Bolton. The alarm for the timer went off sooner than either of them would have liked, and Gabriella pulled away immediately.

"Right, where were we?" she said a little breathlessly, running her fingers through her hair.

Troy sighed. "Um. Going over the ACT exam booklet."

"Excellent."

Gabriella spread out the relevant material, and Troy picked up an information pamphlet.

"How long now til the ACT exam?"

"A month and a half. We're lucky that East High take the June sitting instead of the April sitting because then it would have been in like a week."

"Oh yeah that's great, put the biggest most important exam of our academic lives right before we go on summer vacation, that's fantastic," Troy said sarcastically. "We won't have any REGULAR course exams or anything, it's all sweet."

"You and I both know that you would be screwed if the exam was in a week."

"Well yeah. But if the exam was in a week then I would have been more prepared."

"When have you had time to study over the last month? It's all been about basketball."

"I would have made time. You know, between the hours of midnight and 6 am."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Back to that as a study method hey?"

Troy shrugged. "If it's what it takes, yeah."

She pursed her lips, but decided against saying anything, and instead turned back to the information pamphlet and study 'to do' list.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The fourth break time was a repeat of the third break time.

"What if I don't consider this as an enjoyable repayment for my time?" Gabriella murmured, pulling away from him momentarily.

"Then we would very seriously need to reconsider this relationship," Troy replied, before kissing her softly again.

"Okay I take it back."

When the alarm next went off, Gabriella's reaction wasn't quite as prompt. It was almost a full minute before she tore away from him. "Okay we need to..."

"No, no alarm," Troy insisted huskily, lingering near her face and pressing light kisses along her jaw line.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

A half hour of break time later, the young couple pulled apart. Both were equally content to ignore the textbooks and assignments lying on the table before them.

Troy shifted his weight on the sofa, wincing as his leg twinged in pain. His expression was immediately observed by Gabriella.

"You want another painkiller?"

"Nah. I took one just before you got here. It's okay."

Troy's normally bright blue eyes were clouded with sudden annoyance. Gabriella sensed that his thoughts had shifted elsewhere.

"Penny for your thoughts," Gabriella said quietly, running a finger up Troy's face and resting it on his temple momentarily.

"You don't want to hear about the shit going on in my head right now, Gabriella," Troy said elusively.

"On the contrary. I desperately want to hear the shit.

Gabriella didn't swear often, so when she did, even in copying Troy's statement, it had a lot of meaning.

"There's this tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, miniscule part of me that wishes I'd thought about talking to S... to the guy... who offered me the rhoids," Troy said very quietly. "Finding out about… about the benefits. Maybe then... maybe I'd have been stronger. And I wouldn't have gotten injured."

He sensed Gabriella's alarm.

"I would never have ACTUALLY done it. Performance enhancing drugs go against everything that I believe in about sport, about being an athlete. But... in hindsight... it's one of those things where you look back upon moments in your life, on particular decisions, and how one decision could have changed your life forever. If I hadn't gotten injured, maybe I could have led the guys to victory, and maybe we could have kept going in the competition, and maybe then I'd have college scouts interested in me so dad would stop harping on about what my training regime will have to be once I'm recovered to get ready for next season."

"You can't play the 'what if' game Troy," Gabriella said softly. "Life will be filled with those moments you talk about, where life could head in a totally different direction. Take you and me, for example. I can give you a whole list of 'what if's' just about how close it was to you and I never being together. For example, when we first were moving to Albuquerque, my mom nearly bought a house way on the south east side of town. I'd have ended up at a different school. I mean, she'd bought it and had it under contract but then had a building inspection and it failed so we didn't buy it. That close..."

"At the New Years Eve party, I nearly skipped out. I'd promised my mom I'd go but I so easily could have just let her watch me go in, and then disappeared out the other door and gone back to the gym," Troy mused. "I nearly did."

"See? What if's are everywhere. It's not worth it. Everything in life happens for a reason."

"But… I feel so useless," Troy said. "I feel like I let my team down."

"You do know that's ridiculous. There was a foul against you, you didn't make that happen."

Troy sighed. "It's like… I was given this amazing opportunity at something that I work so hard at. And… And I fucked it up. Big time. Not just with getting injured… but with all the problems our team had. I should have handled things better. Maybe if I'd sat down and talked to Jackson back when we first met, he might have treated me differently."

"Jackson was an ass to you because there are some people in this world who are just mean because they can be. I think he felt threatened by you."

"What if I don't get another big opportunity like that though?" Troy questioned. "I'll always look back and think about how I should have done things differently, even if I shouldn't have been the one to change the way I acted."

"You'll get other opportunities. I know you will," Gabriella said.

Troy didn't respond immediately. Instead he sat quietly contemplating what she had just said.

"Well... when I get them... next time, I won't fuck it up. Every single opportunity I get - I'll take it," Troy said with a fierce determination.

Gabriella stared at him, fixated on his fierce expression. "I know you will. As you should."

"Every single opportunity," Troy echoed.

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**Author's note: So umm... support has been wavering a little. I just really need to know that people are with me. Realise that every time I work on this story I'm spending money in internet cafes for you guys. I'm not bribing you or trying to guilt you into reviewing. I just find it really difficult to motivate myself sometimes, when I'm in a foreign country and I could be out seeing the sights and my muse is itching but I don't know if people still care that my muse is itching so it's easier just to write my notes in my notepad and not bother to transcribe them for you to read. So knowing that I still have your support and that you're enjoying the story is instrumental to that. So umm... yes. Sorry if this sounds like a plea for reviews. It's not like that. I might just shut up now. **


	10. All I Gotta Do Is Believe

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART TEN – ALL I GOTTA DO IS BELIEVE**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them.**

**Author's Note: Bonjourno from Roma! I feel a little silly for my end AN at the end of the last chapter, I'd had a pretty crap day and stuff when I posted... and especially now feel silly because oh my God was the response overwhelming or what! Seriously... you guys rock my world. I think my favourite is when people just suddenly emerge from thin air that I had no idea existed or followed my work at all. Bah. Fantastic. Awesome. Buzzing. Now.. if you could all just stick around and keep reviewing :-P **

**Anyway. Umm this chapter is kinda a piece of fluff but yes... anyway. Just read. Thanks. **

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Monday morning was a return to the normal routine of school life. Well, as normal as it would ever get for Troy. Since returning home and following very strictly to his physio regime - under the watchful eye of parents, friends and girlfriend - he was recovering fairly well. Still, Jack Bolton was insistent that Troy continue to use crutches for at least another week. Troy knew that he was right, but it was still frustrating.

Some people would have loved the added attention. Troy hated it. Timetabling must have known at the start of the year that this situation was arise. Suddenly Troy realised just how many times he went up and down stairs throughout each day. East High was certainly not wheelchair friendly. The East High grapevine was fairly efficient. Throughout the tournament, the boys had taken it upon themselves to ensure that interested basketball Wildcats and cheerleaders were kept informed of the progress of the competition. Subsequently being informed of the injury. Suddenly. girls who had given up on Troy after the arrival of Gabriella were offering flirtatiously to help carry his bag. He knew that Gabriella's patience was wearing thin.

However more stressful was that from Day 1, the pressure was on. With a short few months until ACT exams; assignments piling up and due within a month; end of year exams. The excuse of the study motivated Troy being injured along with his hamstring was not good enough.

By lunchtime, Troy had worked himself into a state of near panic. After plonking down next to Chad with his brown paper bag lunch and easing the crutches to rest on the floor; Troy pulled out his school diary, along with various assignment sheets and notebooks.

"Dude, lunch time is for lunch," Chad reprimanded.

"Shut the hell up man. Do you have any idea how far behind I am?"

"No further behind than me I bet," Jason said. "And I don't have the excuse of being on some flashy basketball team."

"Good thing I'm crippled and can't even play for the golf team for a few weeks. I dunno how I'm gonna do all this."

"You're still coming up to Santa Fe on Saturday, aren't you?" Zeke asked.

"Santa Fe.. Saturday?" Troy said blankly.

"The regional decathlon final?" Chad supplied.

"He didn't have Tay and Gabi going on and on and on and on about it last weekend, we had to put up with that," Jason remarked.

"Taylor kept whinging that you got to go interstate for your final, but theirs is in Santa Fe," Zeke said.

"Damn straight I should be whinging about it," Taylor said, approaching from behind them, Gabriella in tow. "It's so unfair!"

Gabriella squeezed Troy's arm in greeting, sliding into the gap beside him.

"Phoenix wasn't exactly the shiz Tay," Troy commented. "Now Los Angeles - that would be cool."

"The national decathlon final is in Los Angeles this year," Gabriella supplied.

"Don't talk about nationals Gabriella. One step at a time."

"So I was thinking we should all go out and do something this Saturday night," Chad said casually. "After your final. Pizza and a movie or something. Not every day a man turns seventeen, Mr Troy 'I'm not even going to TALK about my birthday' Bolton."

"Oh, when's your birthday?" Taylor asked Troy.

"Next Tuesday," Gabriella replied immediately. "I think we should do something. It'll be a, celebrate Troy's birthday/post decathlon shindig."

Troy was staring down at his 'to do list' he'd started to compile in his diary.

"Hey, you can give yourself some time off for your birthday," Gabriella said softly.

"Yeah. Fully," Troy said warily.

"Did you get the rest of that algebra stuff done over the weekend? Did you want me to look at it? And how about we get together on Friday night and knock over that joint chem lab report? One less thing to worry about then," Gabriella suggested.

"Your team isn't meeting Friday night?" Troy queried.

"Nah, but we're meeting every other day this week," Gabriella informed him.

Troy nodded. "Okay then. And yeah, I did catch up with all the algebra actually. Your tutoring seems to have paid off, I actually understood what was going on. You can check it if you like. If you have time."

Gabriella smiled. "It's fine."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

As after every school vacation, routine was formed quickly. Replacing Troy's previous work out regime was a physiotherapy regime. Troy was determined to recover from the injury as soon as possible. By the end of the week, Troy could limp with minor pain - although each time any parent or friend saw him without his crutches in hand, he would quickly be scolded

By force of some miracle, Gabriella managed to fit in hours of decathlon practice each day and still be there to prod and guide Troy with his schoolwork. A feat he decided not to question. Her calls each night were timely, about an hour into his study block so he could bring up any math or science related queries. He'd lucked out switching lab partners in chemistry to be with Gabriella. They had a big partner project due in a couple of weeks - the project Gabriella had suggested they get stuck into on Friday night. Troy insisted he come over to her house, claiming to be sick of his own.

They spent a couple of hours working on the report, making a significant dent in it.

"Can I just stay study here for a bit?" Troy asked. "My mom said she'd come at about 10, if that's cool?"

"Course it's fine, I'm just going to do some revision for the decathlon is all."

Troy flipped open his English novel, lying back on her bed and began to flick through.

"Okay... American presidents in Alphabetical order..." Gabriella murmured.

"Uh... Gabi?"

"Mmm?"

"Why are you lisitng US presidents? You aren't doing US history," Troy ventured.

"I told you, it's for the decathlon."

"I thought Jeremy and Jenna were your history buffs?"

"It never hurts to be prepared... so... in 1857..."

"There is such a thing is overpreparing," Troy commented. "I thought you were the one who always said that you shouldn't prepare the night before."

Gabriella looked at him. "Normally. Yes. But... I'm nervous about it. And stressed. And... I need to distract myself," Gabriella admitted.

Troy grinned cheekily. 'You want to be distracted? Have I ever told you how adorable you look when you're stressed?"

Gabriella had been staring at the book in front of her so intently that it took her a moment to register what he had said.

"Huh... oh... Troy!" she blushed.

"Well you do. Then again, we have previously established that you look cute in a potato sack, so it's not a surprise really."

She giggled. "You have to say that."

"Say what?"

"That I look cute."

"I don't HAVE to say anything!" Troy said indignantly. "Troy Bolton only speaks the truth. Don't tell me you're one of these 'oh I'm so ugly' girls? Because if you are then you're not the person I thought you were."

Gabriella stood from her desk, sitting on the bed next to Troy.

"No. I don't think I'm UGLY. I just... don't think I'm anything SPECIAL is all."

"Which is one of the many reasons why you are special. You don't realise you're special."

Lips connected in a gentle probing kiss. As Troy pulled away, he lightly kissed the top of Gariella's head, taking in the sweet smell of her vanilla scented hair.

"I feel like it's been too long since we have done that," Gabriella said softly. "Even though it was only a week ago."

"A week is too long though," Troy replied softly. "I know things have been crazy... with... well me and everything."

"It's not just you though, my life is crazy as well," Gabriella said consolingly.

"I wish I could just make it all go away. Click my fingers and have school and assignments and my stupid physiotherapy and basketball all ust go away... and make it all about you and me."

"Take basketball away?" Gabriella asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay okay... maybe not basketball," Troy agreed begrudgingly. "But you know what I mean."

"There's only a few months til summer."

"Months. MONTHS!"

"It'll fly. You know it will."

"And til then?"

"We take the moments we get," Gabriella said softly, but decisively.

"Like right now?"

"Like right now."

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

The contingent of support heading up to Santa Fe for the decathlon south western regionals was overwhelming. Similarly to the state finals, they met outside of East High to organise a series of carpools. Troy and Chad in particular had been very vocal in rounding up support. Taylor protested each time she heard them insisting someone come along adorned in red and white; but Gabriella was quick to remind her that they should use the 'home state advantage' they had. She had competed against some of these other schools before in previous years of the competition, and she knew that they would bring a huge support base, whether they be miles away from home or not.

As the day progressed, it became evident that decathlon watching was not an activity for everyone. Spirit and support was high - random cheers would ring out every time East High gained a point. But actual interest and attention was low. The fact was that it took a certain type of person to find a decathlon entertaining. Jason found himself sitting by Kelsi, the two passing random notes back and forth. Zeke was flipping through a recipe book. A couple of the cheerleaders were filing their nails.

However Troy was completely enamoured as he watched Gabriella. Even when another team member was answering a question, he would be gazing intently at her; as she furrowed her brow; made diligent notes.

At one point, Troy tore his eyes away to glance over at Chad. The look which had been on his own face - it was mirrored in Chad's expression. Except the object of the gaze was different. Troy smirked.

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

After a gruelling battle, East High emerged as victors. Wildcat fever was running hot; and celebrations seemed to be high on the list of priorities for tonight.

"I'm so excited about tonight!' Martha gushed. "Not only do we get to celebrate our win, but also Troy's birthday!"

"It's just pizza," Troy said, raising his eyebrows.

"Pizza is cool!" Kelsi insisted.

"So I'm borrowing my mom's car tonight also. Seems there's a huge crowd coming."

"Do you think we should ring the pizza place?"

"I've already done that," Taylor said.

Troy looked at her surprised. "Between winning just twenty minutes ago and now, you've managed to get on top of the logistics of tonight?"

"I'm very efficient Troy. You know that," Taylor said defensively.

Troy slowly approached where Gabriella and her mother were in a tight embrace. Gabriella was getting a lift back with Chad, as her mom was going to a business dinner in Santa Fe that evening.

"Enjoy your party," Elena said, kissing Gabriella on the cheek.

"Thanks mom. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Elena smiled warmly at Troy as he approached.

"Happy birthday for Tuesday Troy," she said with a smile.

"Thanks Miss Montez," Troy said.

"Anyway, my queue to leave."

Elena disappeared, leaving Troy with Gabriella.

"Congratulations again," he said with a smile, kissing her softly.

"Thank you," she said, blushing. "Los Angeles for the nationals now. Scary."

"Hey, did I just hear your mom say, 'enjoy your party'?" Troy asked questioningly.

Gabriella laughed. "She just means tonight. You know, the movie and pizza. My mom thinks of any social gathering with more than four people as being a party," Gabriella explained.

"Oh okay."

"So what's going on? Who is driving me back, and where are we meeting?"

Chad poked his head into the conversation.

"I'm still driving you back," Chad volunteered. "So I've got Troy, Gab, Paula and Jacqui. Is everyone else right for a lift?"

Between the various decathlon members and other random supporters, everyone was accounted for.

"Right, if you're coming out for pizza and a movie, you can meet at mine to organise carpooling!" Chad called out.

ZEZEZE

As they approached the outskirts of Albuquerque, Chad brought up the logistics for their plans for the evening ahead.

"I have to quickly run some errands for my mom before we meet up," Chad said.

"That's cool, just drop me home," Troy said. "I'd like to walk over."

"Walk?" Gabriella asked with alarm.

"It's only a few blocks. And it's good for me. I'm meant to be doing some gentle walking now."

"Oh. I uh... can't your dad drop you off?" Chad suggested, also sounding slightly panicked.

"Well no. Is that... okay?" Troy asked, raising his eyebrows at their weirdness.

"That's fine. Umm... how about he drops you at mine and we walk from my house then? It's a block closer, just in the other direction." Gabriella leaned over and whispered into Troy's ear. "I don't wanna walk to Chad's on my own. And... since my mom isn't around..."

Troy nodded, kissing her softly. "I'll get changed quickly and come over. Undoubtedly, you will take forever to get ready."

Gabriella smiled excitedly. "Awesome."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's Note: Okay. So that was tiny and fluff and fillery compared to my usual standards and the vibe of this story. Especially as a follow up to the last few. **

**It might also seem like the vibe has changed somewhat, you know, moving away from the PIMW angst and more like a HWY vibe... there is logic here. There is logic to everything I do. Trust me. Pretty please. **

**I just sent the next chapter to my beta reader and I have nearly all of the next two chapters written in my notebooks so I'm about to go start work on typing it up. I might have sounded a little crazy at the end of the last chapter but I assure you, I will not stop posting. I finish what set out to achieve! **

**I'll give a virtual hug to anyone who can guess what is going to happen in the next chapter.**


	11. PushAwayTheOnesYouShouldHaveHeldClose

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART ELEVEN – PUSH AWAY THE ONES YOU SHOULD HAVE HELD CLOSE**

**Disclaimer: I am a poor university student, not a millionaire like the individuals responsible for HSM would now be after the mass production of HSM paraphernalia plastered with Zac's soulful eyes gazing at me. The point being – I acknowledge that I am borrowing the characters and just playing with them. **

**Author's Note: Hello to one and all from Vienna, Austria. I prepared this chapter as I was travelling in Italy to the absolute jealousy of my beta reader who totally rocks my world. Random story - I was in Venice and there was a Disney store and We're All In This Together was playing on the TV and I went NUTS. It's one of my least favourite songs from both movies nevertheless it just filled me with inspiration and motivation haha.**

**This chapter is MASSIVE. Massive by my standards. Absolutely giant mofo. Part of me wanted to break it in half but then I thought, meh, nah, f-ck it. If you really have a problem with sitting and concentrating for long enough to read this then you can just break it in half at some appropriate half way point yourself. Also, I would like you to refer to my final AN. Yes that's right, rambling Pandora147 is back with her various explanations and justifications. **

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy was lying on Gabriella's bed, surrounded by mounds and mounds of clothing items.

"What about this?" Gabriella mused, holding up a black strappy top with blue denim jeans.

"Isn't that what you just tried on?" Troy asked.

"No no. That was THIS top," Gabriella said, indicating to an almost identical black strappy top.

Troy closed his eyes. "Gabriella... we're only going to pizza and a movie. What's with the sudden freak out about what to wear?"

"I just want to look nice. It is a celebration after all!" Gabriella said defensively. "My team just made the national finals after all. Oh, and your birthday."

Troy grinned. "I love how my birthday is the afterthought."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"I thought the blue top looked really cute," Troy said, trying to speed the process along. He wasn't even sure if she had tried a blue top on, but with the number of tops she tried on, statistically, there had likely been a blue top among them all.

"Which blue top, this one, or this one?" She asked, holding two up.

"Umm… the one on the right?" Troy said, almost as though it was a question rather than an answer.

Gabriella sighed. "Well I prefer this one... but should I wear it with jeans or a skirt?"

Troy did his best to smile and respond without sounding annoyed. "I think that jeans are fine Gabi. Don't you think we should get going? We're meant to be at Chad's in like five minutes. I'm gonna take a bit longer to walk, remember?"

She smiled. "I won't be long. You're right, that blue top and jeans would be nice. I'll just put those on and then start doing my hair and make up."

She picked up the items and headed into her bathroom. Troy stared after his girlfriend in disbelief. START doing hair and make up?

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Twenty minutes later, Troy was sitting rather impatiently in the Montez lounge room as Gabriella pottered about, checking that the windows and doors were locked for the fourth time.

"We good to go?" he asked hopefully.

"In just a minute. I just want to have a quick glass of juice. I'm feeling rather parched. Would you like anything?"

"I'm fine, really," Troy said through gritted teeth, his annoyance evident. This had been Gabriella's third glass of juice since they'd arrived at her house.

Gabriella came into the room, clutching onto a glass of juice - which she then downed very efficiently. "Okay I'm just gonna grab one more quick glass. Must have been all the thinking today or something, leaving me dehydrated."

'Or maybe it was changing outfits eight hundred times,' Troy thought.

Gabriella's house phone began ringing, to which she responded with an excited "Oooh!" and dashed back into the kitchen to pick it up.

"Hello... uh huh... yeah... sorry we're just leaving... you know us girls, like to look our best. No, no it's fine. Excellent. Right then, see you soon."

"Who was that?" Troy asked suspiciously, as Gabriella came back into the room.

"Chad. Just checking where we were. Come on, let's go."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

After the even paced stroll the three and a half blocks away to Chad's, they were finally rounding the corner into his street.

"Must be a party around here, there's a few more cars than usual about the place," Troy remarked.

They headed up the driveway, and Troy immediately reached for the handle to open the door. He was met by a locked door.

"That's weird," he commented. Normally they'd always leave the door unlocked if one of the others was coming over.

Gabriella rang the doorbell. Troy leaned up against the door, peering inside. He couldn't see any movement through the glass, or hear any noise.

"CHAD!" he bellowed.

Nothing.

"DANFORTH! COME OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

"Why don't we go around the side into the backyard? They might be out the back throwing some baskets or something, and couldn't hear the bell," Gabriella suggested.

"It's 'shooting some hoops' and okay," Troy said, feeling annoyed.

Troy was grumbling as he unlatched the side gate and headed around the side of the house.

"Fucking Danforth, trust him to get distracted when we're meant to be..."

"SURPRISE!!"

Troy stood motionless, mouth gaping, staring at the dozens upon dozens of East High kids who filled the Danforth backyard. Not only the so called 'pizza and a movie' crew of the guys plus Kelsi, Martha, Paula, Jacqui and a few other random basketball guys - but just about every single person who Troy had ever exchanged a conversation with at East High were present. A large 'Happy Birthday Troy' banner adorned the patio, providing a crystal clear clarification of just what was going on.

Gabriella kissed him on the cheek. "Surprise," she whispered.

"What the... how... why..." Troy stammered, completely flabbergasted.

"No party for YOUR birthday? Please," Chad scoffed. "PIZZA? While my parents are out of town? Really Bolton, give me SOME credit."

Troy was still utterly dumbfounded as he was surrounded by people slapping him on the back, shaking his hand and hugging him; all wishing him a happy birthday. He gradually began to process the events of the afternoon.

"So this is why you tried on like 87 outfits?" he asked Gabriella, suddenly amused.

"Well your dad was meant to act as the diversionary tactic while we set everything up," Zeke explained. "We figured he would give you a lift here. He was gonna pretend to be watching something on TV which he just couldn't leave from yet, and then have car trouble and… oh there, was all sorts of ideas being thrown around!"

"But of course you decided to walk to Chad's so I had to improvise," Gabriella added.

"I think I need to sit," Troy said vaguely.

He wasn't making reference to his leg; rather it just a reference to feeling shock. Nevertheless, Jacqui was very efficient to drag him over a lawn chair. Chad was quick to bring over a large stein of beer.

"Drink up dude," Chad said encouragingly.

Troy stared down at the glass, and then glanced around at the scatterings of high school students participating in various forms of underage drinking.

"To think, I was planning to study tomorrow," Troy remarked.

"Nuh-uh. Why do you think I spent the whole week making sure you were up to date with all of your work," Gabriella reprimanded.

Zeke and Jason led a crowd of Wildcats in a "chug, chug, chug" cheer, and suddenly beer indeed seemed like the far more appealing option than a Sunday study session. Troy raised his glass, and was met with a loud cheer as he downed a good half of the glass in one chug.

"Now, since you are injured, everyone is under strict instructions to make sure you never have to walk to get a drink," Jason said. "A drink will be provided at all times."

"And on that note," Gabriella announced, reappearing with a drink in each hand, handing one over.

Troy took a sip of the bourbon and coke she had made for him.

"Fuck Gabi, there's a lot of alcohol in here."

"You have to catch up," she offered as explanation.

He stared at her. "Were those orange juices at your house not just orange juices?"

Gabriella smiled mysteriously. "For me to know and you to… well… Not know. But assume. I suppose."

Troy quickly found himself surrounded by a group of friends, a mixture of basketball teammates; drama kids and various randoms he conversed with on a regular basis. Paula, one of his closer friends, was seated just to his right, and she became immediately concerned when Troy stood from his place.

"Where are you going?" Paula asked. "I'll get you a refill."

Troy glanced down at the beer Zeke had just brought him, and the double shotted bourbon and coke Taylor had just delivered not long before on behalf of Gabriella.

"I'm good with these," Troy said, amused by the offer nonetheless. "Just going to take a piss. If that's okay with you?"

Paula smiled sheepishly. "I'll let you do that."

Troy did his business but then took a moment to sit down on the edge of the bathtub and process. He was still in shock, after over a half hour of time to process the events of the evening. He couldn't even pinpoint exactly what he was so surprised about. When he finally emerged from the bathroom, he found a waiting Gabriella in the hallway.

"Oh sorry, were you waiting to go in there?" he asked.

"No, I was waiting for you," she said, and then commanded. "Come."

Gabriella led him by the hand through the hallway and into the 'off limits' Danforth dining room - hoping they would be granted at least a few minutes of privacy.

"What's up?" Troy asked her as they sat down at the table.

"Are you not happy we did this?" Gabriella asked directly. Her usual inhibitions were somewhat removed from the almost half a dozen drinks she had already consumed, including those at her house.

"No! No, it's awesome! Really. Totally stoked. Having a great time."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Troy insisted.

"Well you're not totally here. I mean... you're here but... you're not. So I don't believe you."

Troy sighed. He knew that he'd been a little quiet as he'd been sitting with his friends, and it was particularly out of character with 'party Troy'. He'd just hoped that no one would notice anything was wrong. Trust Gabriella to pick up on his mood.

He sighed. "I just... I guess I kinda am just in disbelief still. That you guys did this. Put in all the effort and planning. All these people knew and managed to keep it from me."

"Well, you were worth the effort," Gabriella said a little shyly.

This comment was what made Troy realise just what he was so surprised about.

"I am? Really?" Troy asked bluntly.

"Troy, you're like the centre of these peoples universe. They worship the ground you walk on."

"I just... I know I've been kinda, well, absent. You know, over the last month or so. I guess I was thinking you guys were more annoyed with me. Let along to be in a mood to throw me a party," Troy said, speaking slowly as he fleshed out his thoughts.

Gabriella shook her head. "No one is annoyed with you. Yeah, you've been busy and we've all missed seeing you and hanging with you. But you're still Troy. Right?"

"Yes!" he said definitively. "I'll always be Troy."

Gabriella nodded. "Well, as long as you're Troy, people are still gonna want to hang with you."

He contemplated her words for a moment. "I guess."

"Now, enough of this silly talk. Let's get you a chair again, and some more alcomohol, so we can really par-tay!"

Gabriella stood up, and went to leave the room.

"Gabi, one second," Troy said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back gently.

"Yeah?"

"Um… are you okay being here?"

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Just... well... I remember at Jason's party you were a little nervous about drinking and stuff."

"Oh. That. No, I am really truly fine. A lot has changed since then, I've changed since then," she pointed out. "I'm just really excited about having an awesome night with my friends... and my boyfriend. There's been a lot of stress lately, and there's bound to be a lot of stress over the next few months. I think we all need this night. I think YOU need this night!"

Gabriella was right. There had been a lot of stress and with Troy's near panic attack on Monday he knew that it was only the beginning of a long haul. He did need this night, he hadn't even realised just how much he needed it until that moment. There was only one slight issue remaining - one which he wouldn't dare bring up with Gabriella.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Less than ten minutes later, Gabriella had disappeared into the yard and Troy had acquired his backpack and was now in the kitchen. Chad came into the room, just as he was standing with his box of medication in his hand, peering at the tiny writing on the side.

"Dude, what's going on?"

"It just occurred to me that I dunno if I should be drinking when I'm on these," Troy remarked.

"When did you last take one?"

"A while ago. I woulda taken one about now."

"Is it hurting? Your leg?""

Troy shook his head. "Not really, not when I'm sitting still. The alcohol might have numbed it a little. But I haven't had much yet, coz I was a bit worried about this."

"I reckon you'd be right."

"Maybe I'll ask Tay. She knows about chemicals," Troy mused.

"Why ask Tay when your girlfriend is even smarter?"

"Because Gabi would freak out if she thought she'd been giving me alcohol when she shouldn't have."

"True."

In perfect timing, Taylor came into the kitchen to acquire another premix drink from the fridge.

"Taylor! Just the woman I want to see!" Troy declared.

Taylor raised her eyebrows. "Are you confusing me with someone?"

"No. Read this," Troy instructed, shoving his medication box into her hands. "And talk to me about mixing with alcohol. I haven't taken one since about lunch time."

"Wow you're so responsible," Taylor said. "Most people wouldn't give a shit."

Nevertheless, she took the package and began to examine the contents. "You realise I'm no professional here. I haven't heard of half of this stuff."

"I just want a rough idea, Tay."

"Well technically, no you shouldn't be drinking. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Actually, I can't believe Gabriella didn't think of that. BUT… in reality, you should be fine I think, especially if the last one you took was that long ago. I guess it's really about whether you should be skipping a dose now."

It didn't take long for Troy to contemplate and make a decision. He was sick of being responsible.

"Fuck it," Troy declared.

Chad cheered. "Celebration shot!"

He glanced around, checking that no one else was in the area, before heading into the cupboard housing his parents spirits collection . He returned with a couple of shots of Baileys.

"Baileys?" Troy asked, raising his eyebrows.

"My selection is a little limited."

Gabriella came giggling into the room as Troy and Chad downed the shots.

"Oooh are you doing shots?" she asked excitedly.

"I like how you let Troy drink from the secret alcohol stash but not us," Taylor pouted.

"I did go into the stash while you were here so there's nothing stopping you from going into it," Chad said. "I don't care. Just don't advertise it."

"You wanna?" Taylor asked Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. "What are we allowed to acquire?" she asked.

"For you two ladies, you can take your pick. There isn't a lot there that's good for shotting though," Chad said, gesturing. "Just make sure you save yourself for Zeke's now famous jelly shots, which I believe will make an appearance this evening."

Troy groaned. "You're never, ever gonna let me forget that night, are you?"

"Oooh tequila!" Gabriella exclaimed, sighting the bottle.

"Don't do straight tequila," Troy advised. "It burns."

"Do a body shot with lemon and salt!" Chad suggested enthusiastically.

"How does that work?" Gabriella asked.

"Maybe we should wait until later," Taylor said quickly, glancing at Chad slightly. "I might need a few more before I start doing shots. Especially body shots."

Gabriella pouted. "Fine."

The truth was, Troy was glad that Taylor had delayed Gabriella's shotting adventure. Knowing how many 'juices' she'd had at home, and having seen her with at least two or three drinks at Chad's in less than an hour - his concern was warranted.

"Come on, let's go back outside," Troy prompted, entwining fingers with Gabriella and leading her towards a group of people.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

A couple of hours into the party, the alcohol was definitely taking its affect. Since making the decision to enjoy the party, Troy had somewhat taken advantage of the drinks service being provided by his friends. A glass or bottle wouldn't have less than a third left before a replacement drink was ordered.

It also didn't help that Troy was spending most of his time sitting down. He wouldn't realise just how much he had drank until he stood up again to move around. Then suddenly, the head rush would hit him. Troy couldn't remember the last time that he had sat around with a group of friends, laughing, enjoying himself - without some overriding pressure. It was a good feeling, a great feeling, and a feeling which Troy was enjoying each and every moment of.

"Troy! Your presence is required in the lounge room!" Paula called, coming out from house and into the backyard.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"Because I said so. Now get your crippled ass up and inside. And I'll get you another drink in the meantime."

Troy obediently followed the directions, and found his way into the lounge room to see a collection of presents sitting on the coffee table.

"Ohhh….. No I hate this part," Troy groaned, almost wanting to turn around and go in the other direction.

"What do you mean, you hate this part? It's the best part!" Kelsi said excitedly, bringing over another armful of presents and placing them down.

Jacqui steered him to sit on the couch. "Well you can't have a birthday party without birthday presents. The organising committee decided to get it over and done with now before everyone is too trashed."

"I'm not far away man," Troy said.

A small crowd was gathering, but not too many, predominantly the core crew of the closest friends. Troy spotted Gabriella standing in the corner, clutching onto her glass of vodka mixed with orange juice. He smiled at her and patted the couch next to him.

"Just so you know, you don't get my present til Tuesday," Gabriella informed him softly, as she slid in to sit beside him.

"That's okay," he said, squeezing her leg.

"Okay hurry up and open presents so we can get back to the party!" Zeke said.

Troy was a meticulous present opener, carefully peeling the tape back and folding the wrapping paper into a neat pile. Gabriella watched in amusement, a smile toying on her face.

"Mrs B saves Christmas paper every year, this is how he's been trained," Chad informed her.

Gabriella giggled. "That's so cute. Like mother like son."

Troy glared at Chad. "Thanks man."

The 'acquaintances' who had come along gave mainly silly little random presents - Troy found himself with a collection of basketball key chains and mugs and pens and notebooks. The cheer squad had all pitched in and bought him a collection of 'fashion items', including a beanie, cheap sunglasses and a t-shirt - which was refreshing to receive something un-basketball related. Jason, Chad and Zeke of course had taken the basketball route - but with a Los Angeles Lakers jacket and tickets for the four of them to go watch the local college team play.

Sitting surrounded by presents, Troy felt very humbled. He felt humbled that people knew him so well. That they knew what he was passionate about, his preferred clothing style. That they cared enough to take time of their week to go shopping for him.

He was pulled out of his reverie by Chad.

"Okay, Bolton, wait here," Chad instructed, and then disappeared into the kitchen, Zeke and Jason following.

"And here I was, thinking about going for a run," Troy called back sarcastically.

Troy narrowed his eyes, watching suspiciously as the lounge room was filling with everyone who was in attendance. But when Zeke and Jason appeared carrying one of the biggest cakes he'd seen in his life, sparklers and candles adorning the top, again clarity set in.

"Oh no…" Troy groaned.

And then they all burst into song. There were drunken Wildcats, cheerleaders swaying side to side with arms around one another, kids from the drama crowd singing theatrically, Martha bopping along as she sang, Kelsi's sweet voice. Beside him, Gabriella gazed adoringly as she sang shyly, but beautifully. Across from him, his three best friends in the world were singing in a loud, very purposely off key tune.

"… Happy birthday dear Tro-oy… happy birthday to you…"

"HIP HIP!" Chad bellowed.

"HOORAY!"

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

"HIP HIP!"

"HOORAY!"

Troy had always found the 'make a wish' notion as you blow out the candles to be rather silly. What's the point in wishing for something? If you really want it, then just make it happen.

However, a little mystical intervention can never go astray.

As Troy closed his eyes and prepared to blow out the candles; he wasn't thinking about becoming a Los Angeles Laker; or doing well on his ACT exams; or catching up on his assignment work.

As Troy blew out the candles, he wished for something very simple.

He wished for everything to turn out okay.

Troy glanced around the room. As he sat surrounded by friends, Troy knew that it was a wish that could maybe actually happen.

"If you touch the bottom, you have to kiss the closest girl," Jason smirked, passing him a knife.

Troy glanced to where his girlfriend was beaming happily beside him, and very deliberately made a show of slicing through to the bottom.

"Whoops," he declared, and placed the knife down before pulling Gabriella into a soft kiss.

He was a little nervous that she would have been embarrassed about kissing so openly while every single person in the room had all eyes on them. But she surprised him by returning the kiss with a brazen hunger; amidst wolf whistles, cat calls and all. Troy looked up to see Jason and Zeke pretending to vomit.

"Only because it's your birthday did I let that PDA go on for so long," Chad warned.

Jason pointed to his mouth, indicating to Troy that remnants from Gabriella's lipstick adorned his face. Troy quickly wiped.

"Okay who wants cake?!" Paula called.

Paula, Kelsi and Martha had taken it upon themselves to assist by slicing, serving and dispersing the cake among the semi drunken teenagers.

"Um, where should I put all this?" Troy asked, motioning to his present haul.

"Don't worry about it, we'll look after it," Taylor said. "Take your cake and go outside."

"Yes mom," Troy said teasingly.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella came teetering out into the backyard, clutching onto a pineapple flavoured vodka mixer drink.

"Gabri-ella!" Jason called in a sing song voice.

Gabriella smiled and headed over to where Troy was sitting with a bunch of friends. She was walking slowly and deliberately, keeping herself steady.

"Who wants to come and dance?" she asked cheerfully. "Taylor is trying to find some super cool music right now."

"Some 'super cool' music?" Chad asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Gabriella!" Taylor called, poking her head out into the backyard. "Chad has CHRISTINA his computer!"

Gabriella shrieked. "I love Christina!"

The boys were all staring at Chad.

"In my defence, Kayla downloaded it last year while we were going out," Chad mumbled.

Within minutes, Taylor and Gabriella could be heard from inside the house, singing 'come on over, come on over baby' at the top of their lungs. They came bounding back out after the song, approaching the boys.

"Chad, I love your Itunes," Gabriella declared.

"We don't," Zeke said, rolling his eyes. "Get this shit off."

"But we're having fun dancing!" Taylor replied.

"Oooh ooh!" Gabriella squealed. "Rhianna!"

Gabriella started to sway backwards and hips, her hips moving in what she probably perceived at the time to be a sexy dance.

"This time please someone come and rescue me…" Gabriella sang along with the track playing inside the house.

Troy couldn't tear his eyes away from his girlfriend. He was torn into parts. Firstly, she was serving as a rather interesting form of entertainment. Seeing someone so 'straight and narrow' on the way to drunkenness was always amusing. He also was a little concerned - although she hadn't tipped over to the point of making a COMPLETE fool of herself. More than anything though - he found her to be completely adorable. A Gabriella without inhibitions was a Gabriella who exuded additional confidence, who gave him looks of clear attraction, who randomly kissed him for no reason at all other than because she wanted to.

Troy somehow looked away from her, and then looked up to see Chad smirking at him. Troy stared at his friend, raising his eyebrows as though to ask 'What?'

"Hey Bolton, come upstairs with me," Chad said, grabbing Troy's arm and literally pulling him up from his chair. "It's good for your leg to get some exercise."

Troy rolled his eyes but followed his friend nevertheless. Undoubtedly Chad had something he wanted to say. And as expected, as soon as out of earshot, Chad began with a general opening statement which was very obviously leading somewhere.

"Gabriella looks hot tonight," Chad remarked.

"She took long enough getting ready," Troy commented.

Chad raised his eyebrows. "See, what a normal male would have done there is AGREED."

"Well it goes without question. Gabriella always looks hot."

"Much better answer," Chad said approvingly. "So, I think the spare bedroom will be free tonight, I have made it clear to people I DON'T want anyone upstairs but I think I can make an exception for you."

Troy stared at his friend for a moment in silence before saying, "Dude, what the fuck?"

"Oh come on. You and Gabriella have been together for a few months. You're tight. Things happen…"

"Not tonight," Troy said firmly.

"Well, don't say the offer wasn't there," Chad smirked.

"Seriously, dude, I don't even like you talking about it. Me and Gabi, we're tight yeah. But we're soooo not ready for that."

"You're not ready or she's not ready?"

"Well… she's not ready. But that means that WE'RE not ready," Troy reiterated.

"You sound like a girl."

"So you are encouraging me to pressure my girlfriend into having sex? Chad, that's not cool."

"No, I'm encouraging you to at least open the floor for discussion about it with her. To… to try something. Have you even felt her up?" Chad asked.

"There's more to life than sex, Chad."

"Sure there is. There's basketball. But seriously man, I mean not once while making out have you slipped your fingers up her…"

"We're not talking about this. I'm covering my ears." Troy put his hands over his ears in a 'hear no evil' pose, and began to sing. "We live in a beautiful world, yeah we do yeah we do, we live in a beauti…"

Chad pried his mates hands off his ears. "You're telling me that you don't even THINK about it? You're making out with a girlfriend as hot as that and you don't even think about it?"

"Of course I THINK about it," Troy said indignantly. "I dream about it, I wake up with evidence that I've dreamt about it and you know what I have to do about that… which again leads to more thinking about it. And it will remain that way until I am given some sort of indication that Gabriella wants anything more. Thinking. Dreaming. Non action verbs."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy and Chad returned downstairs, and entered the kitchen to find Gabriella and Taylor giggling by the hard liquor bottle section. The girls clearly seemed determined to run amuck together.

"What you girls up to?" Chad asked.

Gabriella turned around, holding a little shot glass up.

"Cheers!" she declared, and threw the clear liquid back into her throat. She proceeded to cough and hack.

"Tequila?" Troy asked questioningly. "I told you not to do it straight."

"It was vodka," she answered.

"I said we should do body shots!" Chad said.

"Well go on. You have to demonstrate because I've never done one."

"Okay I will. Tay, you can be my body."

"I can, can I?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well I can do it on Gabriella if you like…"

"No!" Troy said in a panic.

Chad smirked. "Didn't think so."

Chad retrieved the necessary ingredients – cutting a lemon into slices, finding the salt shaker and collecting some more shot glasses and the tequila bottle. They then carried the items into the lounge room.

"Okay Tay, sit on the lounge," Chad instructed.

He then sat beside her, and began by licking her neck slowly, eliciting a giggle from Taylor. Chad then shook the salt shaker, the salt sticking to her neck from the saliva. He then licked the salt, lingering and sucking for a bit, before taking the shot and biting into the lemon.

"You can do it from anywhere though. On their arm or if you do it on yourself, normally you'd do it here." Chad indicated to the pudgy area between his thumb and index finger.

Gabriella nodded, and then turned to Troy. "Troy, I need you to lie down."

"Why?" Troy asked warily.

"Because you shouldn't be standing on your leg anyway," she said.

"Sure, that's why," he said, rolling his eyes but nevertheless complying.

She kissed him for a while, and then pulled his t-shirt up, and moved down to lick his lower abdomen, just to the right of his snail trail.

'She's trying to kill me' Troy thought to himself. He actually felt his cock twitch at her touch.

Next came the salt and the even more so lingering, languorous licking up of the salt. Gabriella quickly took the shot, her instant reaction being to screw up her face and splutter, "Blech!"

"The lemon!" Chad urged.

Gabriella bit into the lemon, before nodding approvingly. "That wasn't so bad."

"Troy liked it," Taylor said.

Troy tried to remain straight faced, but glanced at Chad. The look on Chad's face was priceless. How apt that Gabriella would make such a suggestive move right after the boys had held such a conversation.

Gabriella stood up, wobbling a little. "You okay?" Troy asked.

She nodded, smiling happy. "Course! I want another shot."

"Gabi sweetheart?" Troy said. "You want to have a good night, don't you? You trust me? And you want ME to have a good night?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Gabriella affirmed.

"Would you do me a favour?"

"Mmm?"

"Go get yourself a glass of water and eat some pizza."

Gabriella frowned. "Okay. I will. But only because you are my boyfriend and it is your birthday. Well. It's not your birthday today. Your birthday is Tuesday."

"Yes, yes it is."

Troy felt like he was talking to a small child - at which point it became clear that he did need to catch up.

"Right. Where's my shot?"

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Two shots and a refill later, Troy and Gabriella had stumbled back outside, leaving Taylor and Chad to put away the tequila shotting supplies.

"I think we need to put on some dance music. Get this party going," Taylor suggested. "Gabriella and I dancing to your embarrassing pop music is not obviously acting as a party starter."

"I don't have any of that on my laptop. I have a few CD's upstairs."

"Well then, let's go get them."

Taylor bounded up the stairs, leading the way. Chad pulled out one of his CD holders, and they sat down on the bed and began to flick through the covers.

Leading up to the party, there had been continual hinted references at the game played at Jason's party which had led to a serious making out session for Taylor and Chad.

There had been random eye contact throughout the evening, sideline glances, brushes of the hand.

Then there were the body shots.

As they looked through the CD's, Taylor made a casual suggestion. "Maybe we should everyone to play a game? You know, like at Jason's."

Chad looked her carefully in the eye. "If you want to make out, you don't have to use a game as an excuse. We could just make out, you know."

Taylor stared at him. "Do you want to make out with me?"

"Do you want to make out with me?" Chad countered.

"I asked first."

They stared at each other in silence for a minute, before Chad took a tentative step towards her, brought his hand up to cup Taylor's chin, and leaned forward to softly press his lips to hers.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella teetered out into the backyard, nursing a fresh glass of orange juice - undoubtedly containing vodka within.

"Get a room!" she called.

Troy looked around at where she was calling. Zeke and one of the senior cheerleaders, Monica, were curled up on the hammock on the porch, engaged in a rigorous game of tonsil hockey.

"I thought you were going to take it slow for a bit Gabi," Troy remarked. "Did you eat the pizza like I asked you to?" His speech was slow and definitive - a sign that he was trying to remain in control when he very clearly was heading towards the stage of being drunk.

"Troy, I know very well that you have drank a lot tonight, so stop worrying about me!" Gabriella insisted.

"I've also gotten drunk a lot more times than you. Plus, you're a girl."

Gabriella giggled. "Good observation there. Anyway, there's just shot… one shot… in here."

"Oh. Right. Well that's okay then."

Gabriella smiled, then took a few steps closer toward Troy. She leaned over to him, nearly losing her balance, and he grabbed a hold of her arms to keep her upright.

"You're so cute when you worry about me," she murmured, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"I am?"

"Mmm hmm."

She kissed him once more before finding her way upright again and wandering over to where a different group was.

"Drink some water!" Troy called after her.

"Stop fussing over her. She will be fine," Jacqui scolded, from where she was sitting not far from Troy.

"But…"

"Okay. I'm leaving here pretty early in the morning so I'm not drinking that much. I give you my guarantee right now that I will baby sit should the occasion call for it. Better she has the big first crazy drunk experience now while surrounded by friends than some other time. You just enjoy yourself."

Troy looked at his friend. He had been friends with Jacqui for years. He was fairly certain he could rely on her.

"You serious? Coz… I do want to make sure someone has an eye on her."

"I promise Troy. If I see you worrying about her again, you'll get an earful."

Troy grinned. "Thanks Jacqui."

He quickly downed the remainder of his drink, and then started in on the next drink which had been delivered and left on the table for him.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Chad and Taylor's making out session had escalated from standing up, to sitting on Chad's bed, to lying on Chad's bed. The kisses were deep and probing and hunger filled. Hands were clawing at one another's bodies. Taylor's hands were running over his stomach and up his arms, clutching onto his biceps. Chad was groping at Taylor's ass, and even went so far as to run a hand up her body and over her breast.

However it was when Taylor's hand went below Chad's stomach and dared to run up his thigh and graze over his obvious erection when he pulled away from her.

"Uh… I think… I think we should stop," Chad said, his voice breaking.

"You want to stop or you think we should?" Taylor asked.

"I think we should stop because I don't want to stop," Chad said. "And… and you've been drinking and…"

"I'm not wasted like Gabriella. I'm very much so in control of my actions here."

"I get that you girls probably don't think that this… is appropriate. Given that we're not… going out. Or whatever."

"Don't think this the wrong way Chad, but who are you to tell me what I think and what I believe? I live by Taylor McKessie's moral standards, not anyone else's, not what society thinks is 'appropriate'."

"What are you saying?" Chad asked slowly.

Taylor paused.

"I draw a line somewhere. I'm not sure where. Umm…. I won't leave you… wanting? Does that…. Is that clear enough?"

Chad stared at her. "How much have you drank?"

"Enough to know that I want to do this. Not enough that you should feel like you're taking advantage of me."

"Right then."

And the making out resumed.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Back downstairs, there was a young brunette girl whose mind was determined to make it upstairs. She could try being suave but she was struggling to walk in a straight line. So being direct was a whole lot simpler.

"Troy, come with me," Gabriella requested.

Troy didn't question the request, jt allowed her to pull him away from the group of Wildcats he was in the midst of discussing the NBA with in the lounge area.

"What's up?" he asked, as she was pulling him toward the staircase.

"I wanna show you something," she said.

They climbed the staircase in silence. A throaty "oh Zeke" came from the direction of the bathroom. Troy smirked, it seemed that Gabriella's suggestion to get a room had been taken. Gabriella pulled Troy into the spare bedroom, and then kissed him with a sudden fervour which surprised Troy. However in his alcohol affected state, he didn't question it, rather, he went along with it.

Without any conversation, Gabriella had steered them to sit on the bed. When Troy felt her trembling hand pulling at the buttons on his shirt, the concerned boyfriend within kicked in and asked why.

"Uh… Gabriella?"

"Yes Troy?"

"Umm. Why are you…"

"Don't you want me to?"

"Uh… that's irrev… irrev…." In his semi drunk state, as well as the additional shock of the moment, Troy was struggling to speak, the word coming out as a slur. He gave up. "That's got nothing to do with it. You're a little drunk. And so am I. And…"

Gabriella's hand, which had paused, resumed and was now undoing the third button from the bottom.

"And… and I don't think that this is the right time to be doing this," Troy managed to say in a flurry.

"All I'm doing is unbuttoning your shirt."

"Uh… the removal of clothes normally leads to other stuff."

"I heard you and Chad talking earlier. About… about me… and us… and…"

Troy's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh. Fuck. Shit damn fuck."

"It's okay. I just thought that since it's your birthday… and you have been so patient with me… and we're both mature young adults and everyone else seems to be doing it… and so maybe we should."

"Gabriella, I know you're drunk but surely even a drunk Gabriella has a sense of common sense remaining and knows that is not a particularly good set of reasons to be doing this."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm more than drunk."

"Not a selling point. Gabi, truth is, I don't think we're ready."

"That's bull. You're ready."

Troy sighed. "Maybe, but are you?"

"I don't care. It's all relative. Stop arguing with me on this!"

Even in the frustration of the moment, Troy couldn't help but smile and think to himself 'only a drunk Gabriella would say something like it's all relative.'

"This isn't gonna happen," Troy said softly.

Gabriella stared at him. "You don't want me."

"Oh my God that could not be further from the truth!" Troy exclaimed. "I knew I shouldn't have let you drink this much."

"It's fine Troy really. I understand. You've made yourself quite perfectly crystal clear."

Gabriella stood from the bed, and ran out the door, almost tripping and then struggling with the door handle. Troy groaned, and stood up to go after her.

"Gabriella!" he said, and grabbed her arm.

"Troy, can you leave me alone?" Gabriella asked, before stumbling down the stairs.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy headed straight for the hard liquor cabinet, pouring a double shot of bourbon into a glass and skolling it in one go before heading into the backyard.

"Uh, did you and Gabriella have a fight?" Jason asked.

Troy sighed. "Why?"

"She came out looking for Taylor, and when she couldn't find her Kelsi became the second option and they disappeared and went up the road."

"Fuck. Is Kelsi drinking?"

"A bit, not much. They'll be right. What happened?"

"Don't wanna talk about it. Another beer?" Troy asked.

"Sure."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella and Kelsi returned safely, at which point Gabriella refused to talk to Troy. By that point, he'd drank another five drinks in half an hour and was well and truly wasted. It was an interesting wasted though, different to normal. He wanted to be up and running around like normal; but he kept in the back of his mind that he was still nursing an injury so some control was required.

Chad and Taylor had disappeared, which Troy wasn't surprised about; and Zeke and Monica had yet to return. Kelsi, upon her return, had resumed her conversation with Jason. Ironic that Troy being the one with the girlfriend was 'partner-less.' He went in search of Gabriella again, but couldn't find her.

Soon he was approached by Jacqui.

"I put her to bed in the spare room," Jacqui informed Troy.

He sighed. "Vomiting?"

"Yup."

"Okay. She all right?"

"She will be. You've been there. She'll survive. Umm, Troy?"

Troy looked at his friend warily. Even in his intoxicated state, he could hear the hesitation in her tone. "What?"

"I dunno what happened with you guys but umm.. I think you should talk to her in the morning. She seems a little bitter towards you. I couldn't understand a lot, it was mainly drunken rambling. But yeah… just thought I should let you know."

Troy managed a smile. "Yeah. Thanks. You're a legend."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

An hour later, a completely trashed Troy crawled into the bed beside Gabriella. She was completely out of it, fast asleep, lying flat on her back. Troy kissed her sloppily on the forehead, before collapsing beside her and falling asleep.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's note: Trust me to add a giant author's ramble at the end of a 7000 word chapter. Umm okay. I felt the need to address sex with Troy and Gabriella because I've built the characters around them as being more mature, as dealing with these issues. It wouldn't make sense to have Tay and Chad hooking up and Zeke off with a girl and then for the guys to NOT be saying to Troy - what's going on with you and Gabriella. So that's why I went there without GOING there. **

**I'm actually really excited about where my interpretation of Chaylor is going, I mean, it builds throughout PIMW and I'm thinking about a one shot and I use them a bit more in my next senior year story which at the rate I'm going I won't start working on until the damn third movie is out. However, I also acknowledge that my interpretation of Chaylor is a little unorthodox, particularly as I am semi trying to remain within the canon of characterisation. I can give you a whole list of little reasons why I decided to go that way, but in totality it was just a VIBE. The WAY that in HSM2, Chad says 'I'm gonna take that little hottie on a PROPER date'; the way Taylor looks back at him.**

**I don't know how many of you even particularly care about the B and C and D plot lines; I mean when I become too Troy centric a lot of you are just very 'more Troyella' so you probably don't really care about how I interpret Chaylor. But I am a very big believer in the role that the people around us play in shaping our relationships, how we look to our friends and their relationships to contrast with our own. This is particularly important in high school. So that's why I really am wanting to work on developing the sub plots in my next sequel, and I need to plant the seeds here. I'd really like your feedback on what you think about this aspect of it.**


	12. Find What I Lost

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART TWELVE - FIND WHAT I LOST**

**Disclaimer - If I owned High School Musical then I would have organised for various parts of the filming to take place where I am travelling in Europe so I could gaze at Zachary from afar in adoration. Is it filming in Europe? No, no it's not.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - **

**Hello once again, I come to you now from ROMANIA. Random European HSM related fact - At the Tesco in Budapest (Tesco is kinda like a Walmart) High School Musical 1 was the Number 1 selling DVD. ****Another random thing - I bought a plaid shirt. Zachary has a LOT to answer for when I, a person who doesn't like plaid, is converting.**

**More so on topic - thank you all eternally for your patience with me. Thanks to everyone who has been sticking with me and sending such lovely reviews and what not. I would also like to acknowledge my beta reader, _emptrajan_, who I don't thank often enough but he just totally rocks. I've nearly finished the next chapter, just some editing to do, so if you're all really lovely and nice and pleading then you just might get an update faster than I've been doing them of late!**

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

A clear indicator of a successful party is when the aftermath includes a significant amount of vomiting.

Troy hated vomiting. No one LIKES vomiting. However Troy hated it with a fiery passion. Hated the sound and the smell. Hated vomiting, hated being around other people who vomited.

For a seventeen year old, Troy was somewhat of a seasoned drinker. He was fourteen when he was first invited to a party being held by one of the seniors on the varsity basketball team. It hadn't taken many beers before vomiting ensued. He'd had two and a half years of parties to test his liver and his capacity to drink. He'd crashed the night before, relatively smashed, knowing that he would wake up feeling a bit seedy but that there wouldn't be any vomiting.

Nevertheless, Troy woke up the next morning to the sound of vomiting.

He repressed all of his disgust and hatred of the act. He ignored the tiny man inside his head, with the jackhammer against the side of his skull. All to roll over and hold back Gabriella's hair as she was leaning over into a garbage bin. He rubbed her back consolingly, keeping his head turned away. Being around it was enough - watching her was beyond his capability. Gabriella finally pulled back, collapsing onto the pillow.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "Alcohol is evil."

"Congratulations on your first hangover," Troy remarked.

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty seedy. I'll live. Been here many times before."

Gabriella then looked at Troy suspiciously, remembering a portion of the night before. She glanced at him, lying in the bed beside her.

"Oh God… I… did we… you're here… in bed with me…"

"Nothing happened," Troy assured her. "We just slept together. You know, in the sense of sleeping."

"Oh. That's right. I got shitty. Coz… coz you said no."

Troy smiled warily. "Uh, yeah, because I'm a gentleman who doesn't take advantage of his drunk girlfriend who I happen to be aware is not ready."

Gabriella pulled the blanket up over her head. "I'm so embarrassed."

"You were drunk. It's all good," Troy said casually, trying to keep things light.

"I was hoping I'd been so drunk that I would forget everything I said and did. But it's all flooding back and I feel so mortified that I can't look at you."

Troy flipped the cover back, revealing Gabriella's distraught face.

"Don't be mortified. It's okay," Troy insisted.

"No, no it's not."

"Hey, I could have said yes and right now you could be filled with regret and then we'd break up because I took advantage of you."

"Thanks," she said softly. "For… for saying no. I mean… we haven't even… we haven't said… Let alone even talked about…"

"I know. Because I know that you're nowhere near ready," Troy said simply. "And that's fine."

"Really? You're really fine with that? I mean… you and I are going so well. I mean, I'm really happy with you. And with us."

"And I'm really happy being with you. And us," Troy agreed emphatically.

"Do you wish I was ready?" Gabriella asked softly. "I mean… I might not be ready for; well, for a long time. I mean… I have no religious or moral objection but I just…"

"I don't mind. In the meantime, I have a hand," Troy said wryly, trying to lighten the conversation.

Gabriella blushed, realising the implication of his comment. "Umm… okay."

"Gabi, it's a non issue," Troy said seriously. "I… I don't even feel like we need to talk about it. You know me, you know I'm not that guy. The conversation doesn't need to take place."

"Good because I think I need to vomit again," Gabriella groaned, rolling over to grab the garbage bin once more. Troy quickly looked away, waiting until she stopped.

"I'll be back in a second," Troy said.

He rolled out of bed, grabbing his jeans which he'd pulled off and left on the ground next to the bed, and padded down the hallway and downstairs. He passed a living room full of randoms who had crashed, and found Chad in the kitchen.

"Morning," Troy said.

"Asprin?" Chad asked, holding out the packet.

"Cheers. And two for Gabriella also."

"She really bad?"

"Yup."

Troy opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water.

"You disappeared last night," Troy said quietly. He glanced up to see Chad smiling slightly. "With Tay?"

Chad shrugged. The look on his face gave away that something had happened.

"Come on man, you have to tell me," Troy said.

Chad glanced around the room for a moment, looking out into the hallway and then turned to Troy.

"We fooled around a bit," Chad said quietly.

"Fooled around? You mean, more than just hooked up?"

Chad nodded. "Yeah."

"With TAYLOR?"

"You dissing her?" Chad said defensively.

"No, I just didn't think she was the type to do that kinda thing at a party."

"Me neither. Did you and Gabi…"

"Fuck no. She was kinda all over me but she was also absolutely smashed."

Chad sighed. "You and your fucking chivalry."

Troy rolled his eyes and grabbed the aspirin from the bench. "We'll talk more later. I want details."

"Details should be exchanged on a mutual basis. You need to cough up some dirt of your own."

"Shut the fuck up. We're right to crash here for a while yeah? Don't think Gabriella's mom would be too impressed seeing her now."

"It's sweet."

Troy returned upstairs to the guest room. Gabriella was just setting down the bin and collapsing back onto the bed.

"This is awful. Why do people drink alcohol?" Gabriella moaned.

"Coz it's fun," Troy said simply. He handed the aspirin and bottle of water to her. "Aspirin for your headache. Try to drink a lot of the water. It'll help. You're gonna have nothing in your tummy to puke up and dry retch. So you need to drink water, lots of it. Also you need to rehydrate."

She wrinkled up her nose. "I'm a bit grossed out that you know so much about something that I know you hate so much."

Troy smiled wryly. "Because when I do it I want to make it stop as quickly as I can."

"What else will make me feel better?"

"Sleep," Troy declared. "It helps me anyway. Specially when I'm just hung over without the being sick like now."

"Then I wanna sleep," Gabriella declared groggily.

"Then let's sleep," Troy said.

Gabriella rolled over onto her tummy, glancing over at Troy. She reached over with her hand, placing it on the bed beside where his hand was lying. She nudged his hand. Troy felt the slight movement, and instantly responded by clasping her hand with his. Gabriella smiled, allowing her eyes to close.

"Troy?"

"Mmm?" Troy said sleepily.

"When I'm ready… I hope it's you."

Troy smiled, and squeezed her hand gently. "Me too."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

It was fortunate that Gabriella had spent so much time ensuring Troy was up to date with his studies the prior week. Sunday was a complete write off. Most of the party guests who had crashed at Chad's drifted home throughout the morning, but both Troy and Gabriella stuck around napping on and off throughout the day. Troy was picked up around 5 in the afternoon, was awake long enough for dinner before drifting back into the land of sleep.

Since the injury, Jack insisted upon giving Troy a lift each day; even though he could get the school bus from just up the street. On Monday morning as he sat out the front of the school, he had variations of the same conversation with just about everyone who passed him.

"Hey Troy, did you enjoy the party on Saturday?"

"Bolton, big one on the weekend hey?"

"Oh my God, did you SEE what Jimmy did at the party on Saturday?"

Fortunately, he was saved from the monotony of conversation by the early arrival of both Taylor and soon after Gabriella - who didn't look her best.

"I still feel a bit yucky," Gabriella confessed. "I couldn't drink orange juice this morning, it just smelt like vodka."

Troy grinned, and kissed her on the forehead consolingly. "You'll get used to it."

"You make it sound like I'm gonna subject myself to this torture again!"

"You will. And you'll enjoy it again, and you'll feel seedy again. It's a perpetual cycle."

Gabriella shook her head. "I don't know. Right now, I just feel so tired. And yet I spent pretty much all day yesterday sleeping. My mom so must have known that I was hung over last night," Gabriella said.

"I hope you're chirpy enough for our meeting after school," Taylor remarked brightly.

"Tonight?"

"Gabriella, we have nationals to prepare for now! Of course we're meeting after school. Not just today but tomorrow, and Wednesday, and…"

"Okay okay, I get it."

"Uh, sorry, but what time are you going to meet until tomorrow?" Troy asked.

Taylor narrowed her eyes. "Why? Gabriella has put up with your crazy basketball schedule for months."

Troy raised his eyebrows. "My mom asked if Gabriella would like to come over for dinner tomorrow night, for my birthday. That's if, she wants to, and if that's okay with YOU, Taylor," he sad.

"Oh good! I won't have to bring your present to school!" Gabriella said excitedly.

"So that's a yes you're coming?"

"It's an of course I'll be there!"

Zeke was next to arrive, and of course he was met by jibing from Troy.

"Well, you disappeared on Saturday night," Troy remarked.

Zeke glanced at the girls, clearly uncomfortable talking about it with them around. "Shut up."

Taylor and Gabriella rolled their eyes, but didn't say anything.

"We can go away if you like?" Gabriella suggested coyly.

"NO," Zeke said. "Completely not necessary."

"Sup everyone," Chad said, approaching the group.

"Morning," Taylor said softly, barely able to make eye contact.

"Morning," Chad responded, giving her a slight smile.

The group fell into an uncomfortable silence. Troy had yet to get the details out of Chad and as far as he knew Gabriella and Taylor probably hadn't had the chance to discuss it in detail yet. But nevertheless, everyone knew that someone had gone on. Chad and Taylor were avoiding all eye contact, looking in every direction but at each other.

"So it's my birthday tomorrow," Troy finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah we know. We threw you this like massive party to celebrate it," Chad said teasingly.

"Massive party? Hardly," Troy scoffed.

"It was pretty weak actually," Zeke said. "Compared to Jason's."

"I was drunk," Gabriella said proudly.

"You were? I missed that," Zeke said.

Chad and Troy exchanged a look. "Gee, wonder what YOU were doing," Troy said.

"Bolton. Seriously. Shut up!"

"What did I miss?" Jason asked, approaching the group.

"We were just trying to find out about Zeke and…" Chad began to say.

"SHUT UP!" Zeke exclaimed.

"Obviously he doesn't want to tell you about it," Taylor said.

"Thank you Taylor," Zeke said sincerely. "Anyway. Should we head in for homeroom?"

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

School was a monotonous drag of serious concentration. It was as though a switch had flicked in Troy's brain and he had reentered back into his study zone. He'd brought a paper bag lunch to school with him, so during lunch period he was seated waiting for his friends with his chemistry textbook open, already scanning over that nights homework questions. Zeke was the first to slide into the table next to him. Troy quickly looked up from his textbook.

"Okay you have to tell me right now while there are no girls around and you have no excuses," Troy said insistently.

"Not here man, seriously, give me some credit," Zeke scoffed.

Troy groaned in exasperation. Zeke quickly changed the subject.

"Dude, so we need to start working on that group project for PE," Zeke announced. "Us four guys were still doing it together I assume?"

Troy rolled his eyes, but nevertheless went along with the conversation change. "I hope so. That's what we planned. Don't see why not."

Jason sat down across from Zeke a minute later.

"Hey Jase, when you wanna start working on that PE assignment?" Zeke asked.

"Oh fuck, I forgot about that."

"Maybe we should get together on the weekend to work on it?" Troy suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Jason said.

"I hate fucking algebra," Chad groaned as he sat down beside Troy. "Fucking assignment. It's a fucking piece of fucking shit. Fuck!"

"Does your mother know you talk like that?" Zeke asked.

Chad rolled his eyes and ignored Zeke. "You reckon Tay will help me with it?"

Troy smirked. "Probably. You could sweeten the deal."

Chad glared at him, but didn't say a word.

"Chad, you wanna get together on the weekend to work on our PE group project?" Zeke suggested.

"Sounds sweet."

Taylor, Gabriella and Martha arrived at the table at that moment, taking their seats.

"Troy, did you want me to study with you this weekend for your algebra quiz next week?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. "Yes. Definitely."

"I'm just trying to work out my weekend. Taylor has decided we are having regular weekend decathlon meetings," Gabriella said.

"You suggested it!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I know, I know I did. Okay. So… I have… Saturday morning free," Gabriella mused, glancing at Troy.

"I have a hydrotherapy session Saturday morning," Troy said. "I guess I could change it. Or… skip it."

"No! You have to go. What about Saturday afternoon?"

Troy turned to the boys. "When were we gonna do the PE project?"

"I think we should do it Saturday afternoon and then make it a boys night," Chad declared. "Spend a few hours Saturday afternoon, then chill and hang."

"It's been ages since us four just hung out together," Jason agreed.

Taylor poked Gabriella. "This is their way of saying Troy spends too much time with you."

Gabriella turned to Troy. "That sounds like fun, you guys should do that. We can just study Friday lunch, and then free period."

Troy pouted. "But studying at one of our houses is so much more fun. Well it was during spring break."

"Maybe then it's better that we do study in the library. Make sure study actually happens."

Troy sighed. "How many days until summer?"

"Don't even mention summer," Jason said. "It's too far away to think about. Talk about something else. Change the subject someone."

"So. Spring Fling next Saturday," Martha remarked, quickly complying with the request.

"Shit, I'd forgotten about that," Troy said.

"Did you still want to go? I mean… with me?" Gabriella said nervously.

"If anything, I'd have thought you might not want to go with ME," Troy said.

"Huh? Why would I not want to go with you?"

"Well how much fun is the dance gonna be with a cripple?"

"Like you'd be on the dance floor long anyway," Gabriella pointed out.

"Yeah, normally we're running around working out how to distract the teachers long enough so we can spike the punch," Zeke pointed out.

"Well it's different now. I'd wanna dance with YOU," Troy said quietly, stroking the back of Gabriella's palm.

"We'll have fun anyway," Gabriella assured him. "We'll hang and listen to music. The gang will all be there right?"

A series of responses including "fo shiz" (Jason) "you bet" (Zeke) and "absolutely" (Martha) came from everyone. Well, all but one. Everyone stared at Taylor.

"Am I a part of this 'gang' who is apparently gong to be there?" Taylor asked.

"Weren't you gonna go?" Jason asked.

"I'm not really the school dance type," Taylor said.

"Oh," Chad said. His tone was clearly one of dejection. Troy and Gabriella exchanged amused glances.

"Were… were you gonna go?" Taylor asked nervously.

"Uh, well… yeah. I know they sound like they're dorky, but these dances can actually be really fun."

"Are you going with someone?" Taylor asked, a little hesitantly.

"Umm… A girl asked me," Chad said carefully.

"Angie Crawford?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"She asked me first."

"Stupid bimbo, everyone knows you have a girlfriend," Taylor muttered. She turned back to Chad. "Are you gonna go with her?"

Chad shook his head. "I told her no."

"Oh."

Taylor's 'oh' was significantly brighter than Chad's had been.

"Maybe I will go. You know, if everyone is going," Taylor said casually.

Chad nodded. "You should. It'll be cool."

"So umm anyway. Girls, have any of you talked to Jeremy today?" Taylor said.

The girls proceeded to conduct their own conversation about the decathlon. Leaving Troy to glare at Chad, trying to send him a telepathic message through eye contact. Chad looked at Troy as if to say 'what the fuck?'

"Hey Chad, come with me to my locker," Troy said casually.

"But I don't wanna, it's all the way…"

"I don't give a fuck, you're coming," Troy said with gritted teeth, yanking Chad to his feet.

The moment the guys were out of earshot, Troy was straight to the point.

"You fucking dickhead! Why don't you just ASK Taylor to go with you to the dance?!" Troy hissed.

"Dude, don't go there," Chad said.

"But after what happened at the party… whatever it was exactly…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Chad…"

"Troy," Chad said firmly. "Not now. Are we going to your locker or not?"

Troy looked at Chad carefully. "You're shitty with me, aren't you?"

"No!" Chad said, surprised. "No I'm not. I just… I kinda don't want to talk about what happened. Not yet. I'm a bit confused about it all. It's nothing to do with you."

"Chad, you know you can talk to me about it man," Troy said seriously.

Chad rolled his eyes. "I know. Don't go all girly on me. Now come on, seriously, to your locker or not?"

Troy nodded. "Let's go."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The rest of Monday flew by, and in line with a long standing Troy Bolton tradition, he went to bed early on Monday night. The night before his birthday, he always went to bed early.

The truth was that he didn't feel excited about his birthday at all. Birthdays have his ability to make us feel special, to feel like it's a day when you can celebrate the good things in your life, make a fresh clean break from the negative. For Troy though, his seventeenth birthday felt very unimportant. He woke up and felt like it was just any other day of the year.

Of course, everyone around him was fighting against that feeling. Troy arrived at school pushing it to be on time. Lucille's annual birthday pancakes had simply been too delicious for both Troy and Jack to pull themselves away from. By the time Troy arrived, his group of friends were all standing waiting for him. Of course a big deal was made, with cheers and happy birthday greetings and hand shakes and hugs and kisses (exclusively from the one and only Gabriella).

Even the usual highlights of his day seemed a bit dull. Physical Education class was normally a highlight. When they had a practical lesson, he was right in his element. When they had a theory lesson, it was a class that he excelled in. However since the injury, practical lessons had been highly depressing. Sitting on the sideline was not an enjoyable way to spend the lesson, but it was the only option he had. It was particularly depressing being left on the sideline on his so called special day.

As he headed with Zeke, Jason and Chad towards the gymnasium, something occurred to Troy.

"You know, this will be by first birthday that I haven't played some kind of basketball in… fuck… years. Since elementary school."

The comment was made somewhat randomly, without any sort of premeditation or intention behind it. Little did Troy know, his offhanded remark lit a spark in the brain of Chad Danforth.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

When lunch time came around, Troy had been seated next to Gabriella for no longer than two minutes when Chad arrived with Zeke and Jason in tow, and made an announcement.

"We are going to the gym."

"That's nice, you go and play ball on MY birthday," Troy said, his resentment evident.

"You misunderstand. WE are going to the gym. Including you," Zeke clarified.

"Ladies, you are more than welcome to attend," Jason informed them.

Gabriella was intent upon remaining near Troy on his birthday; Taylor went where Gabriella went; and Martha and Kelsi weren't keen on remaining behind. So the entire group migrated to the gym.

As soon as they entered the gym, Chad threw a Wildcats warm up shirt to Troy.

"Go on," he urged.

Troy rolled his eyes, but set down his backpack and quickly pulled off his shirt and pulled on the warm up shirt.

"What is stopping you from practicing standing free throws?" Chad demanded bluntly.

Troy stared at him. Jason threw a basketball to Troy. He caught it with ease, and tossed it from hand to hand hesitantly.

"Umm… I dunno actually."

"This no basketball on your birthday thing is bull shit. Even if all you can do is stand in the one spot and practice shot after shot - Troy Bolton cannot not play basketball on the day of the celebration of his birth," Chad declared melodramatically.

Troy spun the ball around on the tip of his finger, before taking a few hesitant steps in the direction of the hoop.

"Why didn't I think of this earlier?" Troy pondered aloud.

"Because you're a dumbass?" Jason suggested.

"Thanks man."

Troy narrowed his eyes before shooting the ball. Nothing but net.

"Nice shot," a voice said from behind.

Troy spun around to see his dad standing behind everyone, watching.

"Hi coach," Chad said cheerfully.

"I'm not playing. I swear," Troy said quickly.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I can see that. You're not stupid. There's actually an exercise where you practice shooting from sitting in a chair. It's really great to strengthen your aim and muscle strength."

Troy stared at his dad. "And you didn't mention that to me earlier because WHY?"

Jack shrugged. "I was injured once for a few months, when I was playing college ball. I found it easier when I was going cold turkey, than doing these stupid exercises and then having to hold back from playing properly. One minute you're just shooting. The next you think, oh I'll just do a bit of a fake right. Next thing you know, you're running up and down the court."

"I'm only a few weeks away from recovery," Troy pointed out. "I think I can resist temptation."

Jack smiled. "I think you can too. Anyway. Have fun."

"See you tonight Coach Bolton," Gabriella said brightly.

Jack smiled. "Yes indeed Miss Montez."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy's birthday was somewhat looking up. Making a few baskets had been amazingly uplifting. And then there was dinner to look forward to. Any time spent with Gabriella - even in the presence of parents - continued to be time which Troy enjoyed immensely. He very simply just enjoyed being around her. She was the kind of girl who omitted an aura, a vibe, which was infectious to be around. She walked into the room and he immediately felt better about himself and the world around him.

Troy semi made an effort, changing out of the clothes he'd worn to school and putting on a nicer pair of jeans and a button down collared shirt. Gabriella arrived promptly at the designated time of 6:00, and Troy was promptly waiting for her out on the porch so he could steal a quick series of kisses before she came inside and the parental unit were around.

"What you got there?" Troy asked cheekily, motioning to the canvas bag she was clutching in her left hand.

Gabriella smiled teasingly. "Nothing."

They stepped inside the house, and as Troy suspected, Lucille was quick to come and begin chatting with Gabriella. Lucille adored his girlfriend, which Troy had decided was a fortunate thing. The time in Arizona in particular had allowed the two to bond. Troy stood with his arms folded over his chest, waiting impatiently for the girls gossip session about some book they had both recently started reading to be over.

"Anyway, I should get back to dinner. It will be ready in about twenty minutes," Lucille said.

"Come upstairs," Troy said insistently.

Gabriella allowed him to lead her by the hand up to his room. He sat down at his desk and flipped open his algebra textbook.

"So I was doing these questions before you got here and…"

"Okay don't even try to pretend you don't care because you just have to open this stuff now because I've had this in my room for days now and since then I've been freaking out about it so let's just get it over and done with and wow that sentence was grammatically incorrect," Gabriella said in a rush.

She sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling the canvas bag up with her and then pulling out from the canvas bag a gift bag.

"You've been freaking out?" Troy queried, standing from the desk and coming to sit on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back against his pillow.

She nodded. "I mean. Well. To begin with, boys are really, really hard to buy presents for. I mean, with girls, you get a cute notebook or some nice body lotion set, and you're all right. Boys, however, are very difficult."

"Gabi, you realise I'm not a material person. I really will like whatever you've gotten me."

Gabriella sighed. "That is the problem. You're not material. It would be easier if you were, then I'd know exactly what to get you and that you'd not only LIKE it but you'll LOVE it."

"I don't know whether to feel bad that you found this to be so stressful, or just find it cute," Troy remarked.

"Cute," Gabriella said immediately. "Don't feel bad. Anyway. So I got you a few little things because I was so stumped."

She thrust the gift bag into his hands. Within the gift bag there were three individually wrapped presents.

"Okay, is there an order here?" Troy asked, staring into the bag.

"Yup, this one first."

Troy meticulously unwrapped the small, rectangle shaped package; to reveal a mixed CD.

"Corny, I know," Gabriella said.

"Not corny, you know I love compilation CDs. Although, now the mixed CD I was planning for YOUR birthday has lost its originality."

"Ooh still make it! You know I love mixed CDs!"

"Yes, yes I do. One of our things in common."

Troy proceeded to scan the list of songs Gabriella had included, making exclamations about the various songs.

"Okay moving on, you can look at it later," Gabriella urged, placing another package in front of him.

Troy grinned, and undertook the same meticulous present opening process until he revealed a rather spiffy looking belt.

"See, now there's no excuse for this pants hanging down look you boys are so fond of," Gabriella commented with a sly smile.

"This is really nice! I really needed a new belt," Troy said, very genuinely.

"I know that," Gabriella said. "And now you have two since the cheerleaders got you one in their package."

She clearly sounded a little upset about the double up.

"I like yours more if that helps," Troy said. "A lot more. It's more… me."

Gabriella smiled widely, appreciating the comment. "I think so too."

The third and final present was a book; a Michael Jordan biography entitled 'For The Love Of The Game.'

"Umm… I went to Chad for advice and he said to get you something basketball related. Which was the obvious. But I thought I'd get something basketball-ish but a little outside of the box."

Troy traced his fingers over the lettering on the cover. "I love it. Very very seriously. I've never read anything like this before but I've always thought I should."

His tone was enough to give away his genuine pleasure at the gift. Gabriella's cheeks were tinged pink with gladness.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

It was a school night, and so the evening drew to a close relatively early. Elena Montez had said she would pick Gabriella up at 10. By 9:45, Troy and Gabriella were seated outside on the front lawn, waiting for Elena to arrive.

"So, did you have a good birthday?" Gabriella enquired.

"It was…" Troy paused, searching for the appropriate word and finally settling upon, "It was… overwhelming."

"Overwhelming?"

"Yeah. I mean… I had one of my best birthdays ever. Right in the year when I really wasn't expecting anything from it. I wasn't really looking forward to it or anything. And it was just so amazing in so many little ways."

"I umm… I hope I helped make it good," Gabriella said, slightly hesitantly.

"You were absolutely instrumental to it being what it was," Troy said, very seriously.

"Good."

Sitting under the stars, the young lovers turned to one another, lips drawing together for a soft kiss.

"Troy… are we okay with umm… with everything that happened on the weekend?" Gabriella asked.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that I'm okay with everything. So as long as YOU are okay with everything," Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. "I'm not stupid. I… don't get me wrong, I think your friends are awesome. They've become MY friends. But… I know what guys are like. Especially with… well. After Zeke and Monica and especially with Chad and Taylor and what happened…"

"Okay, just to clarify, I don't actually know exactly what happened in either of those situations, both of them are being weird and not talking about it."

"That's not the point," Gabriella said. "The point is that, they're gonna be saying stuff like, well you're the one with the girlfriend, why aren't you doing stuff."

"Gabriella, three months ago when we auditioned for Twinkle Towne, I think I proved to you that I'm not one to particularly give a shit about what people are saying I should or shouldn't be doing," Troy pointed out.

"I know that! I know all of that. But… I worry. I worry that… that our lives are so crazy and we're spending less time together. And that then I might take too long and things will change and…"

Troy silenced Gabriella by pressing his lips to hers.

"Doesn't it tell you something that amongst all of this craziness, we've just managed to find ways to become closer and closer?" Troy said quietly. "To find the time to have these amazingly deep conversations?"

"Yeah. Yeah it does," Gabriella agreed, smiling at him slightly.

"You can't plan relationships. You just can't do it. I'm not going to sit here and guarantee that nothing is gonna change. But at the same time, I really don't see it changing. Surely you know how much I not only love being with you but that I have become DEPENDENT upon having you around. I know that there are insecurities and we've been through a lot of this before in the first month or so when we were dating. And… I can see where you are coming from, and I won't lie to you and tell you that there haven't been words exchanged between me and the guys about what they think about that side of our relationship. But seriously - fuck them. They're my best friends but you are my girlfriend and all that matters is that you and I are happy. And do I have to keep rambling because I'm running out of sensitive things to say?"

Gabriella giggled. "You can stop there. I think you could have stopped way back and I was okay with it."

Troy smiled. "So we're cool. Right?"

"We're cool," Gabriella declared.

In Troy's crazy world, there was little that remained constant.

However Gabriella, undoubtedly, was a constant.

A constant who Troy was truly grateful for.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's Note: I haven't been thanking my reviewers enough of late. I try to get back to as many reviews as possible but my time is seriously limited. So yes... just a quick shout out to every one who has ever reviewed. You guys are just so incredibly awesome and motivational, it's amazing. Please continue. Pretty please with cherries and Zac Efron on top. :-)**


	13. Path Worth Taking

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART ****THIRTEEN**** – PATH WORTH TAKING**

**Disclaimer: Troy and the gang are fictional characters who I borrow and do not claim any ownership of. (That's what I tell you anyway. The truth is that in my mind Troy is real, very real, he is sitting right next to me now. Say hi to everyone Troy...)**

**Author's Note: Hello from Brasov, Romania! My muse has been going crazy lately, not necessarily in the direction of this story. But I think it's safe to say that I will be producing High School Musical fan fiction for an ETERNITY at this rate. Hope you enjoy this one. It's personally a favourite but my brain is weird. I liked the last chapter too and didn't get the response I wanted. Anywho. Enjoy. And enter the psyche of the teenage boy. **

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The study plans for Troy, Jason, Chad and Zeke for the weekend evolved throughout the week. At first they were just going to chill after working on their assignment. Then they were going to go to the movies. Then they were going to bum around at Jason's place.

Saturday arrived and the plan changed completely. After working on their assignment for a good few hours - and under Troy's strict direction getting a fair bit done as well - they were sitting in a tent, enjoying the serenity of the outdoors.

"I love being outside," Jason commented, sticking his head out the tent flap and breathing in the fresh air.

"There's something about sleeping on the ground, in a tent, which makes you feel like you're totally at one with nature," Zeke said.

Chad and Troy looked at one another like Zeke was crazy.

"I'd rather have a television and a PlayStation myself," Troy said.

Chad snorted. "You'd rather have a mirror to fix your hair in."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dude, you know you spend way too much time on your hair."

"I'm still getting used to it being cut," Troy defended himself. "And this whole, using product in it thing that the hairdresser told me to start doing."

"I should get you to show me how you do your hair," Jason commented. "The chicks seem to dig it."

"Troy could dye his hair pink and get a mohawk and the chicks would be all over him," Zeke remarked teasingly.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Chad made a half snort half grunting sound, indicating his opinion of the hairstyling discussion.

"Just because you roll out of bed and let your mop of hair just hang there, doesn't mean we are fortunate enough to allow that to happen," Troy commented.

"Just cut your hair so short that it doesn't matter what you do to it," Zeke advised.

"I think Gabriella would kill me if I did that," Troy said.

Jason proceeded to have a fake coughing fit. "Cough-cough-cough-cough-cough-whipped-cough-cough-cough-cough."

"You are going to let your woman control how you do your hair?" Chad asked incredulously.

"She likes me having hair, well, she seems to run her fingers through it when we're kissing sometimes which I don't mind."

"Okay, we have to put up with watching the two of you together all cutesy often enough, do we really need to listen to your running commentary?" Chad groaned.

"Yeah man, seriously, it's really gross," Jason remarked.

"Okay I propose a change in subject. Did I tell you I talked to Sharpay yesterday?" Zeke said casually.

Jason, Chad and Troy exchanged glances among themselves.

"Yeah, totally a better subject," Chad said under his breath. "I'd rather hear about Bolton's tonsil hockey matches."

"Oh yeah?" Troy asked, trying to sound supportive.

"She's in my English class, and we were broken into discussion groups and she forgot to bring her copy of the novel we're studying. And she asked me if she could share mine. Sharpay wanted to SHARE something, with ME."

"Umm... what about Monica?" Troy asked casually.

Zeke had still not specified to his friends what had happened at the party the previous weekend with him and the pretty dark haired cheerleader. The truth was that Troy was fishing for information and Zeke knew it.

"What about Monica?" Zeke asked, avoiding the topic.

"Dude, just tell us what happened!" Jason exclaimed, not having the patience to go along with Troy's sly tactic.

Zeke sighed. "I thought it was obvious what happened."

The other three exchanged a look. "We're dumb. You need to be explicit," Chad advised.

"Well... we did it," Zeke said.

"You did it? You had sex with Monica? I just thought you were fooling around!" Troy exclaimed incredulously.

Zeke shrugged. "You thought wrong."

"How was it?" Jason asked.

Chad, Troy and Jason were looking to Zeke eagerly for details.

"It was... nice," Zeke said, a little lamely.

"Nice? NICE?" Chad exploded. "

Zeke sighed. "Well it was hot but what exactly do you want me to tell you?"

"How about, everything?" Jason suggested.

"I do have some respect for her," Zeke said, rolling his eyes.

"So what, it was just a one night thing or what? I mean, I haven't really seen you guys talking this week at all," Troy pointed out.

"Yeah. Um..." By now Zeke had given in. It was only a matter of time before he would have told them what happened anyway. "Monica is awesome, she's hot and nice and fun. I wouldn't have just done it with anyone. After it happened, I asked her if it meant anything. I mean... Well I kinda asked her out."

"And?" Jason asked.

"She said that she knew that I was too wrapped up in Sharpay to get involved and to let her know when I get over her," Zeke sighed. "Which I don't think is gonna happen any time soon."

Chad groaned. "Dude, that's a clear sign this thing with Sharpay has gone too far. I'm starting to get really worried about this fixation of yours. Thinking Sharpay is hot is one thing but… I'm really starting to think you **care** about the ice princess."

"I just think that there are layers to her is all," Zeke said, defending himself. "You don't see me criticising you for YOUR choice of a girl to be all gaga over!"

"Who exactly am I 'gaga' over?" Chas asked, making air quotes as he mimicked Zeke's uncool choice of words.

It was now Zeke, Troy and Jason who exchanged the glance at Chad's question.

"Uh, Taylor?" Jason supplied.

"I am not 'gaga' over Taylor!" Chad snapped.

"Oh please," Troy scoffed.

"I don't think you are one to judge me for being 'gaga' over a girl!" Chad retorted.

Troy held his hands up defensively. "I don't deny that I'm crazy about Gabriella. Hello, she's my girlfriend! You on the other hand are in complete denial. Obviously you think Taylor is hot, otherwise you wouldn't be randomly making out with her at parties… and… the rest of what has been going on."

"And don't forget that time at the movies; it's not just at parties with alcohol, it happens while you're sobre," Zeke added, glad the negative energy had shifted away from his crush about instead on Chad's.

"Are you saying there's something WRONG with Taylor?" Chad queried, an element of alarm to his tone.

"Nah, Taylor is cool," Troy said very genuinely. "I've talked to her a lot lately, being Gabi's best friend and all. I think she's awesome."

"So why am I being judged for thinking she's hot?"

"I wasn't JUDGING you," Zeke replied. "I was saying that you shouldn't be dissing a girl I think is hot because I don't diss the girls you think are hot."

"But the girl I think is hot isn't a heinous bitch," Chad said frankly.

"Guys, let's cool it," Jason said, not liking the defensiveness that both Zeke and Chad were displaying.

"Yeah, let's talk about Jason's thing for Kelsi instead," Troy suggested with a smirk.

"I don't have a THING for Kelsi," Jason denied. "I think she's cool is all."

"You don't have to pretend with us man. Kelsi is cool. Hyperactive, but cool," Chad declared.

"I reckon she might be interested in you," Troy said casually.

"You think?" Jason asked, perking up a little at the prospect.

"Well Gabriella and I were talking about it and…"

"You were talking to Gabriella about me and Kelsi?!" Jason asked, pure alarm emanating through his tone.

"Not… not in detail," Troy said, defensively, biting his lip, realising what he'd just said.

"Dude, that's like violation of the guy code," Zeke remarked.

"Kelsi and Gabriella aren't that close," Troy pointed out. "And I trust Gabriella."

"That's not the point! Seriously man, don't you get that girls TALK about EVERYTHING?" Jason said, panic now setting in. "Whether they are close or not."

"So when you and me and Gabriella were talking about getting Chad and Taylor to hook up the other day, that was acceptable?"

"You were talking about WHAT?!" Chad exclaimed. "I happen to know for a FACT that Gabriella and Taylor do talk about everything."

"You know that for a FACT do you?" Troy queried.

"Yes. I do. Because half the shit that Gabriella tells Taylor about you, Taylor then tells me."

"And you reckon nothing is going on between the two of you, and yet you're off having secret conversations gossiping about my relationship," Troy commented. "And WHY aren't you passing this shit onto me?"

"We don't talk THAT much, just IMing and on the phone sometimes," Chad said defensively. "And I tune out when she is talking about you and Gabriella because I don't need to hear the stupid details. That's not the point! We were talking about… hang on… what were we talking about?"

"Why aren't I a part of any of these secret discussions?" Zeke asked.

They fell quiet, allowing the still night air of the outdoors to encompass them, the sounds of crickets chirping to fill the silence.

"Boys, I'm just making some hot cocoa if you'd like some," a voice called.

Troy peered out of the tent flap, in the direction of the back door.

"Thanks mom, that would be great, we'll be inside in a second!" he called.

Normally, if the four boys decided to camp they would actually head out somewhere on the outskirts of Albuquerque and camp properly. However with the restrictions upon Troy's physical activity, combined with various budgetary restraints - pitching a tent in the Bolton backyard had taken the place of actual camping.

The four guys trooped inside the Bolton residence, attacking the refridgerator - even though they had a small fortune's worth of lollies, chips and chocolate in the tent.

"I've also got some chocolate chip cookies about to come out of the oven," Lucille said.

"See, this is why we hang here. All because you're such a legend Mrs B," Chad declared. "Have I told you before that you make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world?"

"Have I told you about Gabriella's moms brownies?" Troy asked.

"I think I wanna ban that name," Jason said.

"Huh?"

"GABRIELLA."

"Excuse me for talking about my girlfriend. Who is your friend, need I remind you," Troy said indignantly. "Besides, at least I HAVE a girlfriend to talk about."

"That was lame man," Zeke said.

"Yeah it kinda was," Troy agreed.

Lucille ignored the banter, and proceeded to pour cups of the hot chocolate, and then pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven.

"Now, be careful because they're..."

Each boy had already picked up and devoured a cookie.

"... hot," Lucille finished, unnecessarily.

"Awesome," Jason responded, his mouth filled with his second cookie.

"Well, I aim to please," Lucille remarked. She glanced at Troy. "Have you taken your medication honey?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Yes. I do have some brain capacity."

"Just checking," Lucille said, a smile on her face. "Anyway, I'm heading upstairs. If I hear any racket from out in that backyard, you know I'll be down there in a second."

"Yes Mrs Bolton," all four boys responded simultaneously.

Chad picked up the tray of cookies as Mrs Bolton headed towards the stairs. "Okay, back outside?" he suggested, and led the group back to the tent.

As they settled back into their positions in the tent, Zeke grabbed another cookie.

"I really do think these are awesome. I should get the recipe from your mom," Zeke remarked.

"I thought you had already perfected your cookie recipe. What was it Sharpay said it about them again?" Troy asked sarcastically.

"She said that my cookies are genius," Zeke said in a far off, day dreaming tone - not realising Troy had been completely sarcastic.

Chad snorted. "You're really serious about this whole baking thing, aren't you?"

Zeke stared at him. "Well, yeah. I thought I'd made that pretty obvious."

"I mean like, it's not just for fun. You want to do it as a... as a life thing?"

"I guess. I don't think about the future a lot. But yeah, I guess I do. I think the first step will be some kind of summer job in a restaurant," Zeke said. "If I enjoy that, then I guess I'd like to try to work as an apprentice, or maybe study overseas. Europe is the way to go to study desserts, which is kinda my thing."

"Wow," Chad said with a sigh. "And we never knew you were into any of this."

Zeke shrugged. "Whatev."

"I think it's awesome," Troy said genuinely. "You have like a semi plan."

"As if you don't," Jason scoffed.

"I don't," Troy said defensively. "No more of a plan than you."

"You have a thing that you love that you could actually make something out of," Jason pointed out. "I mean, I love basketball but I'm not stupid, I don't have the talent to make it in the big leagues. And I love movies and I've been working on my script but that's just another crazy dream that can never come true."

"That's bull shit. You keep talking about this movie you're gonna make. Just MAKE IT," Chad declared. "Even if you get a bunch of student actors and film it on a crappy camcorder. You have to start somewhere."

"I think I am gonna do that actually, this summer," Jason said. "I was talking to Kels about it last Saturday, and I was telling her about the script and she had a bunch of ideas and wanted to help out. And she said she would write and play some songs for my backing track if I wanted. I just have to find someone to sing some of it."

Jason glanced slyly at Troy.

"Ask Ryan Evans," Troy said immediately. "Kelsi is pretty tight with him I think, well tight enough that he'd do it for her. I'm so done with the singing thing man."

"You wouldn't be done with it if Gabriella wanted you to sing again," Zeke pointed out teasingly.

Troy sighed. "Gabriella does not CONTROL everything I do. I don't know where you lot get that idea from."

"No, but you used her as an excuse for why you ever wanted to do Twinkle Towne," Chad pointed out. "Making it sound like 'oh yeah, my girlfriend wanted to audition' and whatever else."

"I did not! Well I kinda did with the guys on the Roadrunners but that was with good reason. Look what happened with Jackson, imagine if I'd said, yeah I happen to enjoy singing."

"He admits it, he enjoys singing," Jason said with a victorious smile.

Troy looked semi annoyed - but at the same time it wasn't something he could really deny.

"I don't have a thing. Should I have a thing? I mean… other than basketball and wearing stupid shirts," Chad mused.

"What, you think that musicals are suddenly a thing for me?" Troy asked. "I don't actually want to pursue anything long term with them, not like these guys."

"Hello? Your thing is basketball!" Chad said.

"And so why can't your thing be basketball?" Troy asked.

"Because you take that place. I need my own thing."

Troy sighed. "You have other stuff. You're just as good at baseball as you are at basketball, and you're on the track and field team and…"

"It's all sport," Chad said bluntly. "Maybe I am just a lunkhead athlete like Taylor keeps saying."

"You actually take the stuff that Tay says seriously?" Troy asked. "Dude, you know she likes you right?"

"Besides, what's wrong with sports?" Jason pointed out. "Who is to say you can't have a future in sports?"

"Yeah man, look through that career guide in the sport section. Other than being a professional athlete, there's sports psychology, physical therapy, sports management, coaching, physical education teaching…" Zeke began to list.

Chad looked dubious. "Do you guys actually look into the future and see yourself in some… job? Like… I just can't imagine anything beyond high school. I can't imagine myself doing anything, being anywhere, but here in Albuquerque, at East High, just chilling with you guys."

"But everything will change sooner or later, won't it?" Troy remarked. "I mean I can't picture it but… I know it'll happen."

All four boys fell silent.

"This is way too deep," Chad said.

"We're like a bunch of girls talking about this stuff," Jason agreed. "I propose we chill this conversation out and not CARE about any of this for now. And just for the occasion..."

He grabbed his backpack and rifled around in the front pocket. "Brought a little something that might help in lightening the mood."

He finally grasped the item he was searching for, and pulled out a bottle of bourbon.

"Nice," Zeke said approvingly.

"Coach Lang would so kick my ass right now," Troy remarked. "Getting totally smashed last weekend, eating all this shit, and now more drinking? I swear, from Monday, it's all health food."

Chad sighed. "Troy. Dude. You need to relax. It's off season. You're not in training. A few drinks will not be the end of your career."

"There's hardly any here anyway. Between the four of us we'll barely feel a buzz," Jason said.

"Nah man, this is sweet," Chad said approvingly. "Better than what any of us brought."

"Who wants first drink?" Jason asked.

"You do the honours. You did supply it after all," Zeke pointed out.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

As Troy accepted the bottle from Jason and took a gulp, his mind was filled with worry.

There was a lot of worry going on for someone so young.

He felt as though his friends were content to pretend the future wasn't imminent. That he was the only one who really thought about the path he was taking in life.

The truth however, was that there was little difference between Troy and his three friends.

On the surface, all four boys were content to pretend that the future wasn't imminent.

Content to participate in underage drinking; take a few swigs; feel a buzz; pretend that their worries and insecurities didn't exist.

That's all they were doing.

Pretending.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's note: Okay. So no direct Gabriella appearance I realise, which a few of you will probably be a bit grrr about but that's fine. Feedback? Thoughts? Opinions? Abuse?**


	14. Count On Myself

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART FOURTEEN: COUNT ON MYSELF**

**Disclaimer - If I owned High School Musical then I would have organised for various parts of the filming to take place where I am travelling in Europe so I could gaze at Zachary from afar in adoration. Is it filming in Europe? No, no it's not.**

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On Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings since Troy's hamstring injury, he had spent two hours at a specialised hydrotherapy gym on the west side of town; due to some strings pulled by Jack with a former college classmate, Ben Carter. The Saturday of the Spring Fling was no different.

"You can feel how much better that is this week in contrast to last, can't you?" Ben asked.

Troy nodded as he kicked away from the wall of the pool, making a few lazy freestyle strokes. "To be honest, it feels like nothing ever happened. But dad keeps warning me that this is the time when I have to be strong and give it another week or so before getting back into any serious physical activity."

"Your father is a smart man," Ben said.

"He probably pays you to say that," Troy joked.

Ben smiled and winked. "Yes, but don't tell him I let you in on the secret."

Troy laughed. "So, you think I could start playing golf again?" he asked hopefully.

Ben nodded. "Yes, I think it's a good idea actually."

"Good coz the golf coach has been riding me saying they need me on the team."

"Do they have a full round next weekend?"

"Yeah, on Saturday morning."

"I say do it, and walk the whole course. At about the half way mark, see how you are going. If you're feeling it at all, go back to your buggy. If it goes really well and you're feeling fine afterwards and the next morning, work with your dad on some light basketball training and gradually intensify the program over the next few weeks."

Troy stared at his trainer. "Was that a joke? Please don't toy with me. I couldn't handle it if you were just teasing me."

Ben grinned. "No joke. I am really happy with your progress."

Troy could have jumped up and down or squealed, that was how elated he was. Since being given his prognosis after the injury, he couldn't help but have in the back of his mind that it might have been a worst case scenario, that something would happen and it would fuck up. In his gut, he knew that he was recovering well, he knew how careful he had been and - with the exception of the surprise party - he had followed the exercise regime and taken his medication by the book. But he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up.

After leaving the gym, Troy wanted to celebrate. He really wanted to talk to Gabriella and tell her the good news, but the decathlon team was meeting all day. He was about to dial Chad's number and then realised Chad was at a baseball game. And so Troy followed the plan he already had for the day. Troy walked the two streets away from the gym to the mall.

That morning as he had been getting ready for the gym, he had casually mentioned to his mother that he thought perhaps he should go buy a new set of clothes for the dance - which Lucille was overjoiced by. A teenage boy, WANTING to go and shop for clothes? She immediately fished about in her purse and produced a crisp 100 bill to press into his hand.

Troy had been into three stores and already was regretting choosing to undertake the shopping experience - especially without some form of guidance. He'd almost called Paula or Jacqui that morning to see if they felt like tagging along. It was too late now, he was on his own. Aeropostale was too casual; Pacsun made him look like he should have been surfing in California. Underground Station was his next stop, and he was surprised to find a few things that he liked. Immediately, he picked them up and headed towards the change room.

After dressing himself in the new outfit, Troy opened the door to the change room so he could step out and examine his appearance in the full length mirror.

He emerged wearing a pair of black jeans and a navy blue plaid dress shirt shirt. He studied himself in the mirror for a moment, grabbing one of the belts he had selected and hooking it through the belt loops. Finally, he rolled up the sleeves.

"Looking pretty spiffy," a voice said from behind him. "Although, what's with the plaid?"

Troy spun around to see Will Johnson standing just outside of another change room, similarly checking his reflection in the full length mirror.

"Hey," Troy said in surprise. "Plaid is in man."

"Whatever you say."

Troy grinned. "So how you doing?"

"Yeah not bad, how've you been? You're looking a little more mobile than last time I saw you."

Troy nodded. "Yeah it's going really well actually. I just came from physio, my trainer said I can start back with a full golf game next week."

"That's awesome man."

"Yeah, I'm pretty stoked."

"So, what brings you over to my side of town?"

"My trainer works at the gym just two streets over, you know on Whitehall Street? And since it's our spring fling tonight, I decided I would take my mom's offer to subsidise some new clothes and get something new for the occasion. I think my girlfriend has seen my only dress shirt about seven times."

Will laughed. "You really are whipped when you care about how many times your missus has seen your clothes."

"What you doing milling around here?" Troy queried.

"Just chilling for a bit, procrastinating from doing the tings I should be doing, you know how it is. I was given a voucher for this store a while back, figured I should use it while the sale is on. Then I was gonna head to Game Traders, heard they have a big sale on at the moment too."

Troy perked up. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, there's a huge sale on PS2 stuff, and since I'm too pov to afford a PS3..."

"Yeah same. I was pushing for one for my birthday but there was no luck there."

"Wanna come with to check it out?"

"Is the Pope a Catholic?"

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Two and a half hours later, the guys emerged from having visited every electronics and sports related store in the entire mall, pouring over basketball after basketball related item which both boys already owned.

"Man, I'm starving," Will remarked.

"Wanna go grab a burger or something?"

"Sounds cool."

If girls bond during sleepovers with nail polish, hair curlers, chocolate and gossip magazines featuring stumming blue eyed celebrities - boys bond over a) sport b) video games and c) food.

A and B were fulfilled, and so over the food, the bonding was bound to continue.

"That's a sweet watch," Will complimented randomly as they both proceeded to consume their nutricious large sized Burger King meals.

"Yeah, my parents got it for my birthday."

"Ahh, the big 1-7?""

"Yeah. It was pretty sweet. My friends threw me this massive surprise party, I was so fucking clueless. I actually feel really stupid for not working out what was going on. Had a huge night. Then Gabriella came over for dinner on the night of my birthday."

"Let me guess, she gave you some amazingly thoughtful present, like they always do?" Will asked wryly.

Troy nodded. "Yes! I mean she didn't get me something BIG which is good because I really cannot afford to match that. But of course she did the girl thing and was THOUGHTFUL. And not to mention her part in organising the party. And it's her birthday in a few weeks and I'm just so totally fucked."

"How long have you been going out? Too soon for jewellery?" Will asked.

Troy wrinkled up his nose. "I dunno. How soon is too soon? We've only been going out for a couple of months. I mean, don't get me wrong, we're really serious and stuff. But... I dunno... I don't think I can afford jewellery at the moment. I'd rather save and get something nice. And... oh it's just so confusing. And she goes on about how hard it was to buy MY present."

"I reckon you don't go there. Leave it for an anniversary or something. If her present was more so thoughtful than being elaborate."

"I like that. Yes. I can go with that."

"You ready for the ACTs?"

"Don't talk about them. East High signed up for the early June exams," Troy informed him. "Therefore, I'm repressing that they exist until at least May."

Will grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

Troy turned very serious at the mention of the ACTs. "Dude... can I uh... can I ask you a sorta serious question?"

Will looked at him warily. "How serious is serious? Don't get the impression that I'm some great advice giving out person or something. I look smarter than I am."

Troy cracked a smile. "Not serious like that. I just uh... do you ever feel like... like all the people around you keep stressing about the trivial shit when there's just so much more out there?"

"How do you mean?"

"Just the last couple of months for me... I mean... I could have really injured myself. Totally fucked up my entire life plan. Well, the little of a plan that I have. It just got me really thinking about... about life. About... about what's important. Around me, people are worrying about school dances and parties. My friends, it was like the minute my season officially ended; you know, once we finished with the Roadrunners; that I should just instantly chill out and be back in the zone of worrying about parties and school dances. And I've got the golf coach riding me to get back into the golf team the minute I'm healed enough. And I'm stressing about exams and the ACTs and trying to train and then also make time for Gabi and my buddies and..."

"Bolton. CHILL," Will said. "Take a breath."

Troy responded accordingly, drawing in a deep breath. "Sorry. Venting."

"It's cool man. But seriously. You're seventeen. You... okay fair enough to care about school and want to train but... you're making it a whole lot more stressful than it has to be. You're gonna give yourself an aneurysm or something if you keep stressing the way you do," Will remarked.

"Thanks."

"No seriously. Who says that you can't study and train and spend time with your friends and girl, all at once? You're in this ideal situation where your girlfriend is into the school work thing; where your friends care about sport. Get the kid with the afro... uh... Danforth is it? - to spot you at the gym. Study with your girlfriend. When you sit down and do this life schedule thing that you talk about doing - incorporate down time."

"I know all this," Troy sighed. "I don't think I'm explaining myself well enough."

Troy thought for a moment. "It's like... it's like my whole way of seeing the world, the things that I prioritise and think are important - it's all changed. And as my priorities change, I seem to be on a different wavelength to the people around me."

Will sighed. "I dunno if I'm the right person to be asking about all this. You and your buddies are tight... I've got a very different situation going on. I've always been a lot more independent. Kinda in the mindframe of relying on myself and not the people round me."

"Go on," Troy urged.

"I guess my life philosophy is to count on myself, do the things that I wanna do. I'm like you in that I'm really focused on my game and that I've been focused on my grades so that I could get into a good college. But... I also like to party and chill out and procrastinate. Just... rely on yourself and your gut instincts and I reckon you'll find that everything just sorta... slots into place. It's when you let all the crap from everyone else get to you when things get confused."

Troy stared at Will. "That's so simple. And yet it makes sense. Easier said than done, I'm sure though."

Will shrugged. "It's just a mindframe you have to get into is all, I guess."

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

Both of the guys headed home not long after. Troy was fairly determined to finish his algebra homework before he had to start getting ready for the dance. Troy, Chad, Gabriella and Taylor had pre arranged to meet at Troy's and get a lift from Jack Bolton - who was chaperoning the dance. Well, Troy and Gabriella pre arranged it, trying to create the perception that they were going as two couples. Chad and Taylor were not oblivious to the implication; and whereas they were not going along with it or encouraging the notion - they weren't exactly denying it either. Troy calculated that he would need about a half hour maximum to get ready, leaving him three hours to study and chill out.

Troy managed to complete his algebra work and still have time left over to chill out and listen to some tunes. A knock came at his bedroom door.

"Yeah?" Troy called.

Jack Bolton poked his head into the room. He had been out during the day, Troy didn't even know his father had come home.

"Hey," Troy greeted him.

"You busy?"

"Nah, just finished my algebra homework."

Jack closed the door behind him. "Algebra on a Saturday? Almost unheard of."

"Gabriella's influence, I guess."

"I'd shoot some of that credit your own way," Jack remarked, sitting down at Troy's desk chair. "Ben gave me a call on my cell while I was out. Told me that you and I will have to up the ante on your training."

Troy couldn't hide his broad smile. "Yes. It seems so. Pretty cool huh?"

"Cool is an understatement."

"Yeah. I'm uh... kinda in disbelief. Feel like I might wake up any second and it will all be a dream."

"Coach Mason will be especially happy," Jack remarked dryly.

Since his son's injury, his colleague had taken every opportunity possible to enquire about the progress of the recovery, hoping for Troy's speedy return to his golf line up.

Troy laughed. "Yeah. He is chaperoning tonight also, isn't he? I guess I'll tell him tonight."

Jack nodded. "Your friends still coming around 5:30?"

"Yeah, that's what we organised."

"Okay that's fine. We can sit down tomorrow and work out the rest of your physio schedule. Ben mentioned to me that you will only probably need to go back and see him one or maybe two more times."

"Okay, that's cool."

Jack stood from his position and headed toward the door. Just before closing the door behind him, he looked back at his son.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you son. You've done really well, sticking to the physio and everything. And with your studies and... yes. Very proud."

Troy smiled, feeling slightly uncomfortable yet also incredibly touched. "Thanks."

Jack nodded. "Well. I'll leave you to it. Make sure you allow enough time to get all spruced up for Gabriella."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Jack laughed and closed the door.

Control. Such a rare feeling.

Never in a million years would Troy have suspected that it would be his number 1 rival from the Knights who would provide him with a piece of life philosophy he would find so applicable, so useful. He felt an overwhelming sense of control. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt in control. Things finally made sense.

The world was chaotic but there was calm within the storm.

Count on yourself.

So simple. Yet it made perfect sense.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's Note: Okay so the story is kinda wrapping up... there's maybe two or three chapters remaining. Plus a Chaylor one shot which is stand alone but also acts as a companion piece to this.**

**What I am interested in knowing is whether you guys would be interested in me posting a few 'drabbles' that go along with this story... I just have bits and pieces that I wrote or thought about writing and then chose to not include for various reasons - for example I was going to write a Gabriella centric chapter, so I have this whole conversation with Gabriella and her mom about Troy. And earlier on, I mentioned the back story of the gang planning the surprise trip to the basketball competition. I can't promise high quality, when I say drabble I mean DRABBLE. But if I was to randomly post a few after the final chapter, would you guys be interested to read them? Pretty please let me know, okies? The more demand, the more likely I will be to do this. **


	15. The Answers Are All Inside Of Me

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART FIFTEEN - THE ANSWERS ARE ALL INSIDE OF ME**

**Disclaimer - If I owned High School Musical then I would have organised for various parts of the filming to take place where I am travelling in Europe so I could gaze at Zachary from afar in adoration. Is it filming in ****Europe****? No, no it's not.**

**Author's Note - Firstly, a quick thank you to my beta reader _emptrajan_ who I forget to thank a lot of the time and I don't even know if he comes on to read my final versions on here haha. **

**Also - a huge thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and been reading and especially those who leave such lovely reviews. One day, I will repay the favour and read everyone's stories, I swear! When I get home (whenever that is) I am planning to have a GIANT fan fiction session and just read and write and read and write and read and write and watch the movies over and over and over and over!**

**Anyway... to the chapter...**

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Troy's life, somewhat like the Gregorian Calendar, could be defined into two distinctive segments. There was BG. There was AG. Before Gabriella. After Gabriella.

Before Gabriella seemed like a period that was so so so so long ago. In reality, it had been just four and a half months earlier that Troy had never heard of Gabriella Montez. At the time, life hasd seemed pretty cruisy. But in hindsight, Troy could barely comprehend that a time existed when Gabriella wasn't in his life.

At his last school dance, just before Christmas the previous year, he and Angela Crawford had sampled a large amount of the spiked punch and then had spent half the night groping in the freezing cold outside the gym. The gropage could very well have gone a whole lot further if Chad's impeccable timing hadn't interrupted and led Troy away to assist in adding even more alcohol to the punch. This had been just weeks before meeting Gabriella.

Gabriella often had bouts of insecurity about her relationship with Troy, as a result of feeling generally naive and stupid and inexperienced. However this insecurity was not held by her alone. Troy too felt like a fish out of water at times with Gabriella.

As he dressed in his brand new clothes, it occurred to Troy that this was his very first school dance actually going with a girlfriend. Arriving together. Making a statement. It was a good feeling - like an important step in their relationship.

The girls had gotten ready at Gabriella's; and Elena Montez had driven them around to the Bolton household. Lucille let Taylor and Gabriella in, and of course Elena followed, camera in hand, ready to coo over the dressed up children.

"Troy! The girls are here!" Lucille called up stairs.

There was no reply, and no appearance either. Lucille was fussing with some nibblies she had laid out for the short space of time when her house would be filled with guests.

"TROY!" she called again.

"Would you like me to go get him Mrs Bolton?" Gabriella asked politely.

"That would be lovely thank you honey. And I keep telling you to call me Lucille or Lucy!"

Gabriella bounded up the stairs, stopping at Troy's room and knocking on the door.

"Tro-oy?" she called in a singsong voice.

The door opened a tiny creak, but no futher.

"Don't come in. We're playing a game," Troy's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Huh? A game? What are you talking about?"

"Well, since I am the guy here, I should have been picking you up. And so you are pretending that you are on the other side of the door to your house. And that when you open this door, you are opening the door to let me in."

Gabriella giggled. "You're such an idiot."

"Gabriella, humour me please," Troy requested, and closed the door.

Gabriella cleared her throat. "Gee, I wonder when Troy will be arriving," she said in a monotone voice, rolling her eyes.

Troy knocked on his own bedroom door, and Gabriella opened it.

It might have been a game, but the awe which struck him at just how gorgeous she looked was completely genuine. Her dress was very spring like - a teal blue with a green and white flower pattern. The spaghetti straps tied around the back of her neck, halter style. Simple jewellery and an elegant updo hairstyle dressed it up a little. It was cut rather low, to the point that Gabriella felt a little uncomfortable and wished her mom had put her foot down and not allowed her to buy it. But as Troy's eyes wavered somewhat south with an approving glance, Gabriella felt less like a girl and a whole lot more like a woman.

"Wow," was all he managed to say.

Gabriella blushed, knowing his response was in no way a part of the game.

"Would you like to come in?" she teased, gesturing toward the hallway.

"I think you should come in here instead," Troy whispered, taking her by the hand, pulling her gently into his room and closing the door behind her.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered huskily, capturing her lips into a soft kiss.

"You don't look half bad yourself," Gabriella said, glancing at him up and down, her eyes demonstrating her approval.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Troy turned around and produced from a little vase on his desk one single long stemmed red rose, handing it to her.

Gabriella accepted it shyly, sniffing at it daintily and smiling. "It's beautiful."

"I was going to get you a corsage but then I didn't know what you were wearing and plus, it's just the spring fling. We can wait until the junior prom for that."

Gabriella raised her eyes. "You're assuming we're going to the junior prom together?"

Troy's eyes widened, realising the assumption he had just made. "Errr... well... it's like over a month away I guess so I hadn't really ASSUMED it but umm..."

"Are you asking me to go to junior prom with you?" Gabriella interjected, a smile toying on her face.

Troy stepped toward her, leaning down to press his lips gently against hers. "Gabriella, would you do me the honour of being my date to the junior prom?"

Gabriella brought her finger to her chin, in mock contemplation. "Hmmm... well I'll see what other offers I get in the meantime, and I'll get back to you."

Troy brought his hand to his chest over his heart, making a stabbing motion. "The pain of your rejection," he said dramatically.

She giggled, and enclosed her hand over his. "I can pretty much guarantee that no other offer will compare to yours so I think it will be a yes."

"You think?" Troy murmured, lingering just shy of her lips.

"Mmm hmm," Gabriella murmured, closing the gap and kissing him softly.

The door flew open. "Abort all physical activity immediately," Chad announced.

Troy and Gabriella sprang apart, looking up to see Chad with a hand covering his eyes.

"Dude, you can look," Troy said, amused. Chad's hand fell to his side. "When did you get here?"

"Not long ago. Taylor sent me up to be the search party. The mom's want to take PHOTOS," he said, sounding disgusted. "So your presence is requested."

"Okay, we'll just be a..." Troy began to say.

"NOW," Chad said, grabbing Troy and pulling him.

Gabriella giggled, and set her rose back into the vase to keep it healthy, and brought it down with her.

"Wow Troy, you're looking spunky," Taylor greeted Troy.

"You don't look half bad yourself for someone who doesn't even like school dances," Troy replied teasingly.

Lucille and Elena proceeded to run the photography session.

"Now Gabi honey, why don't you stand with your arm around Troy's waist and Troy, you look over in this direction," Elena instructed.

From the couple photos of Troy and Gabriella; they moved onto a series of 'girls' photos then 'boys' photos and then group photos. Taylor was standing beside Gabriella; and then Chad immediately went and stood on the opposite side, on Troy's side.

"This is uneven. Hey Chad, why don't you come around here and put your arm around Taylor?" Gabriella suggested, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"You guys think you're being clever but it's really just rather dumb," Chad grumbled.

Finally, the photo taking session ended - partially at the doing of Jack Bolton who insisted they would have to leave soon as he had to make sure he would be on time.

ZEZEZEZEZEZE

The down side of being driven by a chaperone was that they arrived not only on time, but slightly EARLY. This didn't bother the girls - both were punctual by nature. Troy and Chad, however, had been conditioned into the concept of being fashionably late to every event they attended. Therefore they insisted to Taylor and Gabriella that they should mill around the front of the school for at least half an hour, killing time, until it was an acceptable time to enter the building. The girls rolled their eyes but went along with it, sensing that this was of relative importance to the guys.

"So I had physio this morning," Troy said.

"Yeah?" Chad said.

"Ben said I should try a full round of golf, walking the whole course next weekend. Then if it goes well, to pick up my training," Troy said. He was speaking quickly, almost as though he had been bursting for the right moment to tell them.

"So you're doing really well?" Taylor asked.

Troy nodded. "It seems so."

"That is so so so amazing. You must be so relieved," Gabriella said, giving him a half hug and kissing him on the cheek softly.

"Relieved is understatement of the century," Troy admitted.

"I think it deserves celebration," Chad declared.

"Celebration?"

"Yes. How about we head inside and execute Plan Wildcat."

It was Wildcat varsity basketball tradition that the team captain was responsible for the spiking of the punchbowl. Troy, with his three friends as his accomplices, had taken great pleasure in fulfilling his mission at both the homecoming and the winter dances. The spring fling was to be no exception. Within ten minutes of heading into the dance and meeting up with Jason and Zeke, the plan was ready to be executed. Troy and Chad were standing by the punchbowl. Each boy had his right hand in his pocket - grasping a flask of vodka. Troy glanced toward where Jason was standing, bombarding Jack Bolton with a series of questions about team selection for the upcoming season. Chad glanced toward where Zeke was talking to Miss Darbus about the preparations for the spring musical - which she of course was more than happy to chat on and on and on about.

"Are we a go?" Chad asked.

"We are a go."

Chad stood blocking Troy as he quickly tipped the contents of the flask into the punch bowl; and then the roles reversed to tip the contents of the second flask.

"Were you just doing what I think you were doing?" Taylor asked them suspiciously, as they strolled back over to where Taylor was, ironically, talking with a few of the cheerleaders.

Troy and Chad glanced at one another. "Umm... that depends if you'll get angry at us?" Chad asked questioningly.

"Which bowl is untainted?" she asked calmly.

"The right one has vodka," Troy admitted.

Taylor nodded. "Right."

The boys watched as she marched over to where Gabriella was talking with some of the girls from the drama program, dragged her friend away and then over to the punch bowl. The girls very deliberately poured two cups each from the right bowl, chugged one cup, refilled it and returned back towards the boys.

"Leave some for us," Chad remarked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry I don't believe we've met, you must be new here. I'm Troy Bolton and you would be..." Troy said pointedly to Taylor. "I cannot believe that not only are you AT this dance but that you are voluntarily drinking what you know to be spiked punch."

Taylor stared at him. "Just because I am good at science does not make me some goody two shoes."

Chad snorted. "PLEASE! When we all got put in detention first day back after winter break, you were MORTIFIED."

"Well. Things change. You lot certainly have," Taylor said pointedly. "I don't think you are one to be judging me for having a new outlook on life."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

As per usual at school dances, people were moving around the room, mingling, chatting. However somehow, the same core group of people wound up together. Troy sitting on the bleachers, Gabriella at his side, clinging onto his hand. Taylor not far away and then Chad not far away from her. Zeke and Jason close by, and Kelsi not far from Jason. Martha was floating in and out - moving from the dance floor back to the group.

Paula approached the group, a disapproving look on her face.

"There is only one person here with an excuse to NOT be dancing due to medical reasons. This is a school DANCE," she said. "Guess what we do here?"

"Is that one person me?" Chad said hopefully. "Coz, uh, I DON'T dance."

"You wish it was you, Danforth."

"We're keeping Troy company," Jason said quickly.

Chad grinned at his friend, giving him the thumbs up at the cover.

"ALL of you? Troy needs this many people with him? Come on, girls, at least you have to come."

It didn't take a lot of persuasion. Weak punch it might have been, but it was enough to shed inhibitions. Martha, Gabriella, Taylor and Kelsi followed Paula towards the dance floor, leaving the four boys alone.

"Dude, just go ask Monica to dance with you!" Chad encouraged his friend.

Zeke sighed. "I already told you that she blew me off after the party."

"She's been like staring at you all night," Jason said.

"You just want to laugh at me when I get rejected," Zeke grumbled.

"Scouts honour. No laughter," Chad said.

The guys watched as Zeke approached Monica, who was standing by the dance floor with three other girls from the cheer squad. Zeke took her by the arm and led her slightly aside. The truth was that they had expected rejection - so there was a significant amount of surprise as Monica nodded, and then took Zeke by the hand and led him onto the dance floor. Zeke glanced back at the guys, all three of them grinning widely and giving him the thumbs up.

ZEZE

The fast pace song ended, and on came a slower song. Monica was quick to wrap her arms around Zeke's neck, his hands falling upon her waist, as they swayed in time to the soft music. Monica was staring at Zeke. Zeke however, was staring at the door. Sharpay had made her fashionably late entrance, commanding attention from all over the room - and in particular from Zeke.

Monica sighed, and brought her hand up to Zeke's chin to move his gaze in her direction. He immediately looked guilty.

"And you were shocked when I said no to you asking me out," she remarked.

"You said yes to dancing."

"In that brief moment in time I guess I hoped I had been wrong, that you maybe could move on."

"Mon..."

Monica hushed him, bringing her finger to his lips. "Let's just say that we had one really fantastic night together, that you are my dear friend. And that the day you realise that you deserve so much more than her, you are going to give me a call and see where I am at."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

"Oh look, there's Scotty!" Chad said, clearly enthused.

"Scott, dude!" Jason called, waving him over.

Troy looked up to see someone he never wanted to see again suavely entering the gym, spotting Jason's enthusiastic waving, and heading over to meet them.

Five minutes.

Five minutes of Troy's life, back just a month or so ago, had completely changed his outlook on the man.

No, Scott wasn't a man.

He was a boy.

Scott had been a friend, a teammate, an all around terrific guy.

Five minutes was all it took to change that forever.

As Scott approached, Troy felt ill in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't spoken to him since that afternoon in the gym. It had been a hell of a mission to avoid him - and then fate had intervened and Scott hadn't been at school for the last week before spring break, or the first week back.

"Hey guys, sup?" Scott said with a wide grin, holding out his hand to shake each of theirs.

Troy kept his own hand to himself, arms folded somewhat defensively, eyes shifting from the ceiling to his shoes to the spot of wall next to Zeke's head - anywhere other than making direct eye contact with Scott.

"Scotty man, haven't seen you in weeks. You were away, weren't you?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah, a bit of an extended family vacation. Swear my mom is nuts, right at the end of senior year. But Jacqui was e-mailing me with some homework assignments so it's all good."

"How is Jacqui?" Chad asked, a teasing grin on his face.

"Good man, good. I was so stoked to see her when I got back a couple of nights ago. Things are going well," Scott said. He glanced at Troy. "Bolton, heard about the injury. That sucks."

Troy shrugged. "It's all good."

"Hows recovery going?"

"Not bad."

"You hear back from any of your colleges yet?" Jason asked.

"Not officially, but the word on the street is that I've got the track and field scholarship at U of A pretty much sewn up. But I still really wanna get into USC, and I think I'm a good shot for a scholarship there. Should hear back any day now."

"Your PBs have SKYROCKETED this season man, they'd be nuts not to take you," Chad said, clearly impressed with Scott's form.

Scott smiled, somewhat bashfully. "Yeah I've been doing all right. Plenty of room for improvement though."

"Guess you've been training real hard," Troy found himself saying, holding back from punctuating the sentence with a snort.

"Yes. Yes I have been," Scott said, his voice somewhat strangled. "Anyway. I'm gonna go find Jacqui. I'll come talk to you's later."

Scott sauntered away, and instantly eyes were on Troy.

"What was up with you? You were a little... rude," Taylor said.

Troy shrugged. "Was I? I didn't mean to be. I'll be back."

Troy hopped up from the group and stalked in the direction of the locker room, giving the impression that he was heading to the bathroom. He then veered left, grabbed a cup of punch, and headed out the side door. Leaning against the wall of the gym, Troy fished two of his last meds out of his pocket. It was a true sign that recovery was well on its way, when the medication has nearly run out, when no repeat remains.

"You could take something else to bring back your muscle strength," a voice said from not far away.

Troy sighed. "Fuck off man. Take a hint. I didn't come back to you last time, did I?"

"And look what happened," Scott said, moving forward to lean against the wall next to Troy.

"It's one thing making me an offer. But seriously, I can't believe you're actually standing here and trying to promote this shit to me."

"It's helped me out."

"It's all a fascade. You get a scholarship - great for you. It's not real. And you'll get caught and your whole life will be fucked up. You do get that once you're in the big leagues, they get samples of your piss and blood and check all this stuff?"

"I guess I'll deal with that when it happens."

"Whatever."

"Don't judge me for this. I'm still the same guy. You've said no, that's cool. I won't ask you again. There's no need to get all pissy about it."

"Don't JUDGE you for it?" Troy replied incredulously. "Sorry buddy, but you are a completely different person than what I knew. And not in a good way."

"That's your problem Bolton. You see the world in black and white. You're like some fucking Disney character, the noble good guy. News flash - the real world has grey, and many shades of grey."

Troy held his palms up defensively. "To be honest, I don't feel the need to get into this with you. I don't feel the need to talk to you about anything ever again."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "One day you'll grow up and realise just how pathetic and naive you are."

Troy shrugged. "Maybe. And maybe one day you'll wake up and realise that this shit has completely fucked you up and you'll wish you'd never gotten mixed up in any of it."

Scott shook his head, and turned to walk away.

"Wildcat?" a soft, familar voice said from the other direction.

Troy jumped in surprise. "Gabi?"

"Umm... you kinda rushed out so I came to see if you were okay."

"Yeah. I'm fine really. Just wanted some air. Umm... how much of that did you hear?"

"Enough," Gabriella said simply.

"Okay. Yeah. So it was him," Troy said defeatedly, as though he accepted the secret was out.

"I never cared who it was. That was Chad, if you remember."

Troy nodded. "You gonna tell him?"

"No."

"You think I should tell Chad?"

Gabriella sighed. "This is where the grey comes in that he was talking about. What's the point in telling Chad if you're not planning on going to the principal or the track and field coach or whoever? What if Chad can't keep his mouth shut, and then it gets back to authority that you knew? Is it your place to say anything anyway?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah. I think I'd rather just pretend it never happened and move on with my life."

"What about Jacqui?" Gabriella asked quietly. "She's your friend too, isn't she?"

"I have wanted to tell her so many times. Every time she starts talking about how excited she is that things are back on track with the two of them. When she's talking about how she hopes they both get into California colleges." Troy groaned in frustration. "WHY does life have to be so god damn fucking complicated?!"

"If it were simple you'd get bored," Gabriella remarked.

"Why do you have to be so logical," Troy groaned, but good naturedly. "Just today I was feeling so... so in control. Like I could handle anything that came my way. And then he reappears and gets me thinking; which might I add is always a dangerous activity; and now that's all fucked up."

"Why don't you use that sense of control to work out how you want to approach the situation," Gabriella suggested soothingly..

They fell quiet for a moment. Gabriella reached over and laced fingers with him, gently tracing a pattern on the back of his palm with her free hand.

"I think I wanna tell Jacqui," Troy said quietly.

Gabriella glanced at him, but didn't say anything. She just waited for him to continue to talk.

"I never really thought that he was REALLY into it. Like, I thought maybe he'd experimented and had a few and so he offered me one. But tonight... he pretty much admitted to me that he's been using them seriously. He was truly trying to justify that it is okay. I wanna tell Jacqui not only for her, but for him. If anyone could get through to him, then it would be her."

"You don't need to tell Jacqui."

It wasn't Gabriella who replied. Troy and Gabriella both looked up sharply to see Jacqui standing shortly in the distance.

"Jeez, can't a guy get some privacy out here?" Troy said lightly, but inwardly he was terrified of the conversation that was to follow.

Jacqui glanced at Gabriella. "Umm... do you mind if I take your boy here for a walk? We won't be long, I promise."

"Oh no, of course, that's fine." Gabriella squeezed Troy's hand before letting go, and headed back inside the gym.

Jacqui began to walk away from the gym, in the direction of the car park. Troy fell into step with her, walking in silence. Jacqui stopped as they reached a bench, taking a seat and motioning for Troy to sit beside her.

"In future, if you're going to have serious conversations about whether you should or shouldn't be revealing a secret, perhaps you should have that conversation in a somewhat more private location," Jacqui remarked.

"Jacqui... fuck... I um... I don't know what to say," Troy stammered.

"I already knew. You didn't blow the secret," she said.

Troy raised his eyebrows. "You... you knew?"

"Yes."

"You knew... and... you're just getting back together with him," Troy said slowly.

Jacqui nodded. "It's complicated. It's a lot more complicated than you could understand."

"Try me Jacqui. Try me."

"Okay. To start with, Scott hasn't been at school because his grandmother is really unwell. He was with his mom visiting her in Florida. They're not doing well financially because they've put all this money into her health care and stuff, and just flying to go visit her all the time."

"Umm okay. That doesn't explain why he's fucking up his body and possibly his whole career."

Jacqui sighed. "No, but it explains why he's trying to sell them to people."

"Tell him to get a job at Burger King or the cinema for fuck's sake!" Troy exploded.

"He did for a while. But because he had to get all this time off for training, and then to go to Florida, they stopped giving him hours," Jacqui explained.

"Jacqui, you and I have known each other for years. You are up there as being one of the smartest, most practical, most MORAL people that I know. Are you seriously trying to justify all this?"

Jacqui paused. "No. Not justify but... it provides context. You know?"

Troy shook his head. "No. No I don't know. What I think is that Scott has taken a path that from what I hear, lots of guys really easily fall into. And you love him and so you're trying to make it okay. You know what Jacqui, it's not okay. It's more than being not okay. It's fucked up. You don't want to get into all this. You've got so much ahead of you. You deserve better than all the fucked up shit that comes with the world that he's getting into."

"What is this WORLD you keep talking about?" Jacqui said defensively.

"We're not talking about smoking a few joints Jac. You know that. Fuck, you're into science, I don't need to list statistics to you."

"There is argument that controlled amounts of performance enhancing drugs used under monitored circumstances can be highly beneficial for high level athletes," Jacqui said, as though quoting from a journal article or textbook.

Troy closed his eyes. "And there is argument that HITLER was justified in the extermination of the Jews but you know, whatever."

"Okay that is a ridiculous contrast and you know it."

"I wish you could hear yourself talking. And hear how ridiculous you sound. It's like you're trying to convince yourself of all this bullshit."

"I KNOW THAT!" Jacqui exploded, a few stray tears falling down her cheeks. She paused, before taking a breath and speaking very softly. "I know that's what I'm doing."

"Because you love him?"

"Because I love him. And so I have to convince myself of it Troy, do you get that?"

"If you really love him, then stop justifying it and help him to get the fuck out of all this shit. He's an awesome athlete without it all. He doesn't need it. And this whole, his family needs money thing - you and I both know that is fucked."

"I know it is," she said softly, before letting out a huge sigh. "Do you guys have any more alcohol? I think the punch needs spiking again. With more. A lot more. And then I want to drink copious amounts of it."

Troy nodded. "There's like a half bottle of vodka in my locker."

"Lead the way."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella had learnt her lesson from the weekend before. After five or six relatively weak punches, she stopped and moved onto the water. She had her buzz and was happy. Jacqui on the other hand had confiscated what remained of the bottle of vodka from Troy's locker and was taking random shots.

"I'm worried about her," Troy said softly to Gabriella as they sat together, glancing over at where Jacqui was tearing it up on the dance floor.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, you don't have to be everyone's keeper all the time. Just let her have her pretend fun and deal with it next week."

"I'm being such a downer tonight, aren't I?"

"Not a downer. But... just very serious. Like you've been in general lately."

Troy nodded. He held his palm up in front of his face, drawing it down and changing his expression to a wide smile. "There. Happy fun Troy is going to make an appearance."

"Simple as that is it?"

"Yes." Troy stood up, offering his hand to Gabriella. "And in celebration of my newfound fun spirit, would you like to dance with me this evening?"

"What about all your excuses about not being allowed to take part in physical activity?"

"Well they got thrown out the window at physio this morning, didn't they? Besides, a slow song is coming on and I much prefer slow songs."

Gabriella took his hand, and allowed him to lead her down the bleachers and toward the dance floor.

"Because they are romantic and beautiful?" Gabriella asked.

"And sexy and they set an atmosphere for making out."

"Ew, with your dad here?"

"We can go into a dark corner."

"Dance first, make out later," Gabriella declared, wrapping her arms around the back of Troy's neck.

Among the stress of exams; of physiotherapy; of life revelations; of changed perceptions of the people around - it was nice to be able to block it all out for a few hours.

To wrap his arms around his girlfriend, to hold her hand and watch her as she giggled infectiously as she twirled around.

Often it's those simple moments in life that can bring a certain clarity; and highlight the things that are truly important.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE - **

**"He held his palm up in front of his face, drawing it down and changing his expression to a wide smile."**

In case you don't get the mental imagery, put on your HSM2 Extended Edition DVD and look at the bloopers (or find it on YouTube...) and it's that bit with Zac in the kitchen and the 'I have to clap every time I mess up' etc... except in the bloopers he is composing himself into calm, rather than here where he is going from misery into pretend happiness.

I don't like to beg for reviews but please pretty please… I need motivation… I'm having **a lot** of trouble with the next chapter and so every bit of feedback will be so incredibly appreciated and useful in kicking me into gear. All the people who came out of the woodwork when I half bribed you with not posting my work anymore... if there's a time to come back out then now would be it.


	16. See Yourself And Not Recognise Your Face

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART 16 - SEE YOURSELF AND NOT RECOGNISE YOUR FACE**

**Disclaimer – Even though it feels like Troy is mine since he is practically WITH me while I am backpacking in Europe, alas, he is not, nor is Gabriella or any of the gang. I have moved on.**

**Author's Note - Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you times a whole lot more times to _emptrajan_ for the help with this chapter. We went through what feels to me like eighty five drafts, and he put up with a few narky and disheartened vents from me. But here is the final product. I'm still a little meh about it just because I have written it so many times that I am at the point where I cannot see it objectively. **

**I have been in Berlin and Amsterdam and just been too busy (with... erm... activity that is illegal for many of you under 21/18 (depending on your nationality) to participate in; and also activity in Amsterdam illegal for people in most of the world to participate in to do my final polish so apologies for the delay in posting this. (I am not encouraging said activity. I am trying to be a good role model). And also didn't get back to many of the people who reviewed last chapter. So here is my group THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed. The motivation was just the perfect kick up the bum that I needed and I always just feel so warm and fuzzy inside when I hear from y'all! Pretty please continue to show your support... Pretty pretty pretty please...**

**Just in response to some of the general questions I have been getting and just some things I should clarify in the open forum I have here... After this chapter there are two chapters remaining and maybe an epilogue - I'm waiting on beta reader feedback for the final two chapters (which I have written drafts for)... so I'm not sure yet whether an epilogue will be necessary. There are at least two, what I had called drabbles but I would now call _undeveloped, unpolished deleted scenes_. Just because I have written them and in my brain they happened so I figure why not post them. There will then be a Chaylor one shot which even if you are purely a Troyella fan I would recommend if you have been reading this and if you plan to tackle my post HSM2 series. **

**On that... yes its official. I want to get ahead of myself a bit with it because its going to be a MASSIVE MASSIVE mofo. You think Here With You was long? HA. Prepare to dedicate years of your life to what I have in store. The post HSM2 story, the college years part 1 and 2... that's right baby. When Zac is old and grey and still devastatingly hot I will still be writing about these damn characters. So yes, at some point in the weeks following the conclusion of PIMW and its various companion pieces, my third series in this timeline should make an appearance. It is to be set post HSM2 (entitled Someday) which I have been working a little with the assistance of the lovely Ayen. I will ramble more about _Someday_ at the completion of this story. **

**So. To the damn chapter that I spent so many freaking hours agonising over!**

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The afternoon after the Spring Fling, Troy and Gabriella made spontaneous study plans. They were each individually sitting at home attempting to do various assignments and bits of homework - but also longing to see the other. More time was spent texting the other than actually studying. Finally, Gabriella suggested Troy come over and they study together.

Hence that late Sunday afternoon, Gabriella was lying back on her bed as Troy at her desk in front of her laptop. He was staring blankly at the screen with her English essay displayed. The first sentence alone contained two words he was not entirely sure of the meaning.

"You know, I think you might have me confused with someone else. I'm Troy. You know, your jock boyfriend? Emphasise JOCK? Shouldn't you be getting Taylor or Martha or someone to be reading over your assignment?"

Gabriella looked at him witheringly. "Troy Alexander Bolton. Firstly, you are NOT a jock. Secondly, I take my time to look over YOUR work. And I'm telling you, it's a good skill for you to practice. It will allow you to work on your vocabulary and grammar and all sorts of boring English stuff that we will be tested on in the ACTs."

"You just middle named me," Troy said incredulously, a grin on his face.

"I'll do more than middle name you mister," Gabriella threatened teasingly. "Now read the damn assignment."

"You do realise that you are a genius and that there will be no error in here?"

"My forte is math and science, so I assure you that it will not be perfect. Now stop whinging and read."

She picked up her chemistry textbook and began to pore over chapter twelve, leaving Troy with the laptop and the Microsoft Word document. The truth was that Gabriella had planted errors for him to find. She also had a perfectly prepared copy of the assignment saved elsewhere. That was Gabriella, doting and attentive to Troy's needs.

"Hey Gabriella?" Troy said suddenly, looking up from her assignment.

"Mmm?"

"What are you gonna do for your birthday?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know. Haven't really thought about it."

"Haven't thought about it? It's like a week and a half away."

"I don't know. I don't think I'll really do anything. Mom and I might go out for dinner."

Troy pouted. "What about me?"

"Stop procrastinating and read my assignment."

Troy rolled his eyes, but followed her instructions.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Standing on the door step saying goodbye was often the best part of the time they spent together. It was the moment when the depth of feelings was evident. When sweet nothings would be whispered, kisses would be shared. Troy leaned forward to press his lips to hers softly. She reciprocated the kiss with a fervour, a hand gently placed on the nape of his neck.

Standing on the door step saying goodbye was also the worst part of the time they spent together. Saying good bye was becoming harder and harder. The presence of the other one was becoming a prerequisite for happiness.

"I don't wanna go," Troy sighed.

"I don't want you to go."

"But I have to."

"I know," Gabriella said despondently.

"We'll see each other tomorrow morning."

"Not soon enough."

"You wanna do lunch tomorrow up at the garden? Just me and you?" Troy suggested.

She nodded happily. "Sounds fantastic."

"Good, it's a date." He kissed her softly. "Call me later on, okay?"

"Okay," Gabriella agreed, pressing her lips to his for one more gentle, lingering kiss.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

For most high school students, the worst time of day was arriving at school. When you have a whole day looming ahead, a day filled with algebra and chemistry and literature and other boredom inducing classes. But for Troy, the beginning of the day had become his favourite time of day. Specifically, each morning when he first laid eyes upon Gabriella. Sometimes he could laugh at himself, laugh at the ridiculousness of how she made him feel. He never would have picked himself to be the guy completely and totally smitten with a girl. But that was who he had become. And he didn't care in the slightest. His world had been semi chaotic of late, and he had little doubt that her in his life, he would have struggled to get through without going completely insane.

It was a regular occurrence for Troy to spend more time in homeroom glancing toward the back of the room than facing the front. Of course these glances would be strategically held so as to not attract negative attention from Miss Darbus.

"The student council will be holding a bake sale on Wednesday to raise funds in order to build a new bus shelter," Miss Darbus read from the morning notices. "And finally, the presence of all members of the East High Golfing Squad is requested at lunch time today for a meeting in reference to this weekends tournament. Meet outside Coach Mason's office."

Troy exhaled noisily. The glance he shot Gabriella was one of despondence. There went the romantic lunch date plans. She smiled comfortingly, trying to convey that it was okay. Obligations were obligations. She understood that as best as anyone, if not better.

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Troy was quick to grab his notebook and backpack, and then wander toward the back of the room to meet Gabriella.

"Sorry," he said immediately, feeling genuinely apologetic - despite the fact that he knew that it wasn't his fault.

"That's right, bail on me, that's fine. I don't need you to enjoy my lunch period," Gabriella said jokingly.

They headed out the room, naturally falling into rhythm in a little pack with Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Jason as they each headed up the corridor before splitting in different directions to their first period classes.

"At least I have you to entertain me," Gabriella said to Taylor.

"Good to know I'm your second choice," Taylor remarked. "But actually, you won't have me. I have a meeting with the careers counsellor at lunch."

Gabriella stared at her blankly. "You're BOTH ditching me? I'll have no one!"

"Good to know you think of us as being NOONE," Jason remarked.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Gabriella insisted.

"Sure sure."

Chad put his arm around Gabriella's shoulder. "My friend, you are about to discover just how fun lunch period at East High can be. When you allow yourself to escape from this little land of smouldering glances between you and Bolton, you will realise that there is a whole room filled with entertaining and interesting people at your disposal."

Troy shot Chad a dirty look. "SMOULDERING glances? What romance novel shit have you been reading?"

"Dude, don't deny it." Chad turned back to Gabriella. "So, if I see you anywhere other than right with us at lunch time, there WILL be consequences."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy sat impatiently tapping his foot throughout the entirety of the golf meeting. It was ridiculously inefficient, Coach Mason was reading out a bunch of logistical arrangements for practices on the driving range and putting on Tuesday, and then a nine hole round on Thursday night. He could have just distributed a hand out, but of course he had to take up the lunch hour right when it was the last place that Troy wanted to be. Something inside of Troy suspected that Gabriella may be feeling rather uncomfortable in the cafeteria. His friends were an awesome group, but he knew very well that left to their own devices, chaos could reign. The moment that Coach Mason dismissed the team, Troy practically sprinted in the direction of the cafeteria to rescue his fair maiden.

Except upon arrival, it became evident that there was no fair maiden to rescue. Rather, Gabriella was in the centre of attention. She and Chad were telling a story which was evidently rather hilarious, capturing the attention of a crowd of various jocks and cheerleaders. She was giggling her infectious laugh, at the point where speech was difficult and she was barely able to tell the story. Troy hung back, watching as she and Zeke exchanged a high five, and then Jason captured her attention and they began to engage in a conversation.

Troy had been right in amongst a series of drastic changes to the group dynamic at East High. And yet with the craziness of the months gone by; he hadn't really had time to think about the changes. Standing back for a moment as a fly on the wall was interesting. Watching as Taylor was pointing out something in a textbook to one of Troy's Wildcat teammates. As Martha was listening to her Ipod, sharing an ear with Zeke. As Jason called out to Kelsi who was passing by on her way to meet with Ryan to discuss the musical. And as Gabriella sat, surrounded by people. TROY'S people.

He shook his head, shaking himself from his reverie, and approached the group.

"Room for one more?" he asked.

Jason immediately scooched down, allowing Gabriella to move down to provide him a gap next to her.

"Let me guess. They've got you practising all week?" Chad asked.

"Yup. Pretty much," Troy answered. "Coach Mason seems to think that having an unpracticed amateur back on the team is the key to winning. No pressure on me or anything."

"I wanna come watch," Gabriella pouted. "But we have a giant decathlon meeting."

"It's all good. Golf is boring to watch anyway. You been having fun here?"

Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. "Your friends are freaking HILARIOUS."

"HIS friends?" Zeke asked, raising his eyebrows.

"YOUR friends, Gab," Chad said emphatically. "YOUR friends are freaking hilarious."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The decathlon team was meeting regularly after school, with the national final less than two weeks away. The girls spent every other conversation talking excitedly about how much free time they would have whilst in Los Angeles for the final, and whether they might get to go celebrity spotting. Troy tended to tune out - he didn't need to hear his girlfriend talking about some rising new blue eyed movie star he'd never heard of.

Prior to the competition with the Roadrunners, Troy had been spending nearly every afternoon at school either training or studying. Since the injury, Jack Bolton had been fairly insistent about Troy either getting the bus or coming home with him. Finally with the good news from the trainer, it seemed that a stroll home wasn't considered unacceptable to Jack. Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason - for the first time in a while - walked home together. The four of them. No girls allowed. Well, it was really no girls available.

Zeke's house was first from the school, then it was Jason who peeled off from the group. Leaving Troy and Chad remaining.

The four guys had a tight friendship. But ultimately it was Chad who Troy relied upon the most. It was Chad who, when it came down to it, he could talk to about pretty much anything that was on his mind. Throughout the last two periods of the day, he'd been in deep contemplation about something, to the point that he had very little recollection of anything that occurred in drama class.

"You guys like Gabriella, don't you?" Troy asked thoughtfully.

Chad stared at his friend like he was an idiot. "Uh yeah. Duh."

"I mean... you don't just tolerate her because she's nice and easy to get along with?"

"She's our friend. I personally would like to thank you for having the hots for her and bringing her into our lives. She's a top chick."

Troy nodded, deep in thought.

"Dude, are you okay? Is everything with you and Gab okay? Don't tell me you're gonna break up and things are gonna go weird with our group coz..."

"NO! No breaking up! Unless she said something... did she say something?" Troy asked, paranoia setting in.

"No! No, you're just being real weird."

"Nah I'm sweet man."

"All right. If you say so."

Chad knew that Troy was holding back. And Troy knew that Chad knew that he was holding back. But Chad had learnt over the years that if Troy wanted to talk about something, he would talk about it; and that prodding should only be utilised as a last resort.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The following morning Troy arrived at school early, due to the lift from his father. The first thing of the day Gabriella sighting occurred almost immediately. He had been sitting under a tree for less than five minutes when he spotted her mother's car in the drop off zone.

"Wanna come for a walk to the library? I have to return this book, it's overdue," Gabriella asked.

"Why of course."

Hand in hand, the couple traversed through the relatively empty school grounds in the direction of the library. Gabriella dropped her book into the return slot, and then they headed back out the front to meet up with their friends. In the meantime, several school buses had arrived and there were quite a few people loitering around. They headed toward the steps. Troy scanned the area, not able to see anyone from their group.

"That's weird," he commented.

"Gab!" Chad's voice called.

They spun around and saw a group of their friends already headed up the walkway, near the main entrance. Troy could not remember the last time that his friends had not waited for him before going inside. The group paused, to allow Troy and Gabriella to catch up. Troy spotted Jacqui animatedly speaking with Chad and Jason. She waved at them and then proceeded to walk in their direction to meet them. Troy went to lift his hand to wave back when Jacqui called out,

"Gabriella! Guess what?!"

"I don't do guessing games, what?!" Gabriella asked.

They met, pausing a few metres away from the group. Jacqui thrust a letter into Gabriella's hand.

"Dear Miss Murray... Stanford University is pleased to inform you..." Gabriella didn't need to read any further. "You got into Stanford!"

Jacqui squealed and the girls hugged tightly. "That is so incredibly amazing Jacqui," Gabriella gushed.

Troy was surprised by the exchange. He knew the girls were on friendly terms as a result of their mutual friendship with him, but hadn't realised they were quite that familiar. He waited for them to pull apart before hugging Jacqui himself.

"That is awesome Jac, I know how much you wanted this."

"I wouldn't have even applied if you hadn't convinced me to," Jacqui said.

Troy shrugged. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

"Well you've DEFINITELY gained here!" Gabriella said, in awe.

"You guys coming in?" Chad called out, motioning toward the front door.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

The day continued with similar routine to every other day. At the beginning of the lunch period, Troy had swung by the library to pick up some books for an assignment. He arrived at the lunch table balancing his tray of food in his right hand, and clutching the stack of books under his left arm, ready to fire a list of questions at whichever academically inclined female friend would listen.

"What's with all this healthy shit?" Chad demanded, looking at the array of items. A salad sandwich, a fruit salad, a yoghurt, juice.

"I told you man, I have to start eating good again."

"Eating well," Taylor said under her breath.

"Well you'll have to break this little diet. Saturday night, calorie fest and movies at Gabriella's," Kelsi informed him.

Troy raised his eyebrows. As of an hour earlier in chemistry, he hadn't heard anything about his event. Ten minutes into lunch and apparently everyone knew and he was in the dark. He glanced at his girlfriend. "Were you planning to invite ME to this shindig?"

"No," she said teasingly. "Why would I want you there?"

"It's for her birthday, which is next week," Taylor informed him.

Troy looked at Taylor somewhat condescendingly. "I am well aware of when her birthday is." He then turned back to Gabriella. "Umm... I thought... no never mind."

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"Nah it's cool."

"No, what were you going to say?" Gabriella insisted.

"It really doesn't matter," Troy said adamantly.

"Uh oh, lovers spat," Chad said under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"TROY. What were you going to say?" Gabriella said stubbornly.

He sighed, relenting. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to do something Saturday night. You know, just you and me. For your birthday."

"Oh. Oh no, you didn't make plans did you?" Gabriella asked, biting her bottom lip.

"No! No, I didn't. Was just thinking about it, is all."

"I uh... I guess I would just kinda like to hang out with everyone for my birthday. If that's okay?"

"Of course it's okay! It's for YOUR birthday. It'll be heaps of fun," Troy said with a smile.

"Maybe we could do lunch on Saturday?" Gabriella suggested.

Taylor cleared her throat.

"Oh... hang on... no I'm busy. Decathlon meeting. Final the weekend after and all."

"It's okay. I have golf til about 2," Troy said.

"That's right. I forgot."

"We'll work something out. And Saturday sounds like it'll be really awesome."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy and Chad were in the library during free period on Wednesday, working on an English project. Chad's suspicion that there was more to Troy's questions on Monday afternoon were proven to be right.

"So dude, this shindig at Gabriella's should be fun," Troy remarked.

Chad nodded. "Definitely. Gab is really excited about it too."

"Yeah. Yeah she is." Troy hesitated, but then spoke. "Isn't it weird how we're gonna be hanging out with like Martha and Kelsi? Six months ago, I don't think Martha had spoken a single word to me."

"Weird is understatement. You're talking to the guy who winds up hooking up with Taylor at every major social event. But... it doesn't feel weird though, when it's happening."

Troy smiled wryly. "Well no I suppose having your needs attended to wouldn't be WEIRD."

"You're such a girl. Having my 'needs attended to'... Who talks like that?"

"Me, apparently."

Chad studied Troy, whose face was distorted with deep thought. "Do you not LIKE Martha or Kelsi?"

"No! I mean, yes I like them. Kelsi is a top chick, awesome. I don't know Martha that well but she seems really cool."

"Then what is all this about?"

"Just been thinking. About how different things are."

"Different... but worse?" Chad asked.

"Well I have Gabriella now so of course better."

"Take Gabriella away from it though?" Chad asked.

"Well that wouldn't make sense now, would it? Things wouldn't be different if it wasn't for Gabriella."

"It wasn't just Gab who instigated all the change. It was you too, you know."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Then we're having a conversation about this because why? We really have to finish this PE shit."

Troy stared at Chad. "Who are you, and what have you done with Chad Danforth?"

"I blame Taylor. I talk to her too much. I actually WANT to study. How fucked is that?"

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Tuesday night was a night of tossing and turning, of difficulty sleeping. Around 5 in the morning, Troy gave up trying to sleep and instead got out of bed and headed out into the backyard, basketball in hand. Since his birthday, free throw practice had returned into his daily schedule. There was something about having a basketball in his hand that allowed him to sort through his thoughts.

Which was a good thing, because deep thinking had become typical Troy behaviour since the arrival of Gabriella Montez. Thinking about aspects of his life that he had never spent more than a fleeting moment thinking about. Before Gabriella, life just WAS. When he had found himself becoming the central figure at East High, he'd never contemplated what that meant. It just happened and it was fine.

The last few days, Troy hadn't felt like the central figure. Not only had he not felt like the central figure, but he had hardly felt like a figure at all. Everything in his world had turned upside down and amongst the changes, he wasn't sure where he fitted in, where his place was. Chad seemed to turn to Taylor more and more frequently for things. The cheerleaders who once fawned over him seemed to have accepted that he was taken, thus turned their attention to other Wildcats.

"Troy, I have a staff meeting this morning so I'm leaving in twenty minutes," Jack's voice rang through the backyard.

"Okay. I'll be ready."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

At lunch, Troy didn't head to the cafeteria as he normally would. He'd brought a bagged lunch and headed straight for the roof top garden. Typically, if he wasn't going to be around, he would text someone and tell them he was in the library. He didn't text anyone that day.

And not a single person texted asking where he was.

Six months ago, if Troy had been five minutes late to his place at the centre of the lunch room, he would have at least a half dozen text messages asking where he was at.

Troy arrived at drama class and sat down without acknowledging anyone, flipping open his notebook and proceeding to doodle on the margins to give the perception that he was working on something. He felt something poking into his back, and turned around to face Chad.

"Get your homework done?" Chad asked.

"Huh?"

"At lunch."

"I wasn't at the library," Troy said, and turned back around.

Chad turned around and made a face at Gabriella, communicating that Troy was in a shitty mood. Gabriella risked pulling out her cell phone - Miss Darbus hadn't arrived yet, although she wouldn't put it past the woman to have video cameras installed in the classroom.

"What's up, Wildcat? Missed you at lunch..."

"Did you? Thought you might have texted."

"We assumed you were studying."

"Well I wasn't. I was thinking."

"In the garden?"

"Yes."

Gabriella watched as Troy very deliberately closed his phone and put it into his bag.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Sitting at his desk going through his chemistry notes from that day – which were somewhat limited because his thoughts had been elsewhere – Troy's cell phone rang. He expected it to be Gabriella, but was surprised to see TAYLOR written on the screen.

"Hey," he answered, his surprise evident.

"Hey, how are you?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah all right... and you?"

Taylor sighed. "Let's not beat around the bush. I'm calling to tell you that you need to get out of this funk. Between Chad whinging that you're being weird and Gabriella's brain being all over the shop, I just can't deal with you being in a bad mood. We have the national final next weekend and the girl with the genius IQ and photographic memory couldn't remember the periodic table."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Troy. Get real."

Troy sighed. "I'm not upset with her," he answered honestly. "Or Chad."

"Well they both happen to think otherwise."

"Then they should be talking to me about it rather than you playing Dr. Phil."

"They both tried. You blew them off."

Troy's silence indicated that he wasn't going to deny having blown them off.

Taylor sighed. "Okay, if you're not upset with either of them, is there something I can help with?"

Troy let out a half hearted laugh. "I can't believe that you have called me and offered to help with my issues."

"Well Troy, I happen to consider you to be my friend. Perhaps that's not a mutual feeling though…"

"Course it's mutual."

"Then talk to me," Taylor prodded.

Troy sighed. "Do you ever feel like you don't belong?"

"Troy Bolton, king of East High, feels like he doesn't belong?" Taylor asked incredulously

Troy exhaled noisily. "I was looking for more of a sympathetic response than one of disbelief."

"Of course I've felt like I don't belong. Every day of my life. Even now when I should feel like I belong, I always question whether I REALLY belong."

"I just… I've been so caught up in my own shit lately that I kinda stopped paying attention to everything going on around me. And now things are finally sorting themselves out and it just hit me how different things are. And that I'm not sure where I fit in within it all."

"Excuse the lack of sympathetic response but… do you know how ridiculous this sounds?"

"Enlighten me."

Taylor sighed. "You fit in right in the middle, Troy. Sure, you've got a different immediate social circle – which I can only hope you consider to be a good thing seeing as I happen to form a part of that changed circle. But the basketball guys still worship you. Your friends still rely on you. You have a doting girlfriend who is, might I say, besotted with you. Remember the big surprise party orchestrated by all these people? You haven't changed and so people still want to be around you. So I really don't know where all this is coming from."

Troy sighed. "I think too much is all. I never used to think. Now I feel like it's all I do. Damn being around you smart girls all the time."

"Don't lay it on us. There's nothing wrong with thinking all the time. I would consider it a good quality. I know Gabriella admires it…"

"I should call her," Troy mused. "Apologise for being weird."

"That you should."

"Hey, Tay?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for calling. And… listening. And stuff."

Taylor smiled. "Glad to be of assistance. You sort things out and I'll have my golden girl back and all will be right with the world."

"Good to know that your intentions weren't at all self serving."

Taylor laughed. "Sometimes helping the people around you just so happens to work in your own favour as well."

"Oh and Taylor? I do consider the changed social circle to be a good thing. Don't tell the cheerleaders this, but I find you about eight thousand times more interesting than half of them."

"Damn straight. Now call Gabriella."

"Yes ma'am."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's Note - I struggled SO MUCH with this chapter it's not funny. I was about five chapters ahead of myself - and you know how infrequently I've been updating - and it just took me so long to get this one out that I have caught up with myself. I know its not incredibly important in terms of plot or action but it's really important to me for character development purposes. So whereas last time I wanted feedback for motivational purposes, this time, I want it for self analytical purposes. I want to know your thoughts because I wrote this chapter with a specific reason in response to specific feedback from the beta reader and a couple of you. So... yes... feedback please. Even if its just the word 'good' or alternatively 'crap' I can deal.**

**Next chapter - its Gabriella's birthday! More stuff will be happening! Yay! **


	17. Unpolished Deleted Scene 1

**PLAY IT MY WAY **

**The Deleted Scenes - What You Didn't Get To See Before...****  
**

**WORKING TITLE: THE PHOENIX PLAN**

**Disclaimer - They don't belong to me. I've dealt with it. **

**Author's note - **

Sorry. It's not the next chapter. But I wanted to post something because I am feeling really excited coz _Audrey K_ (one of the lovely admins from the fabulous Zaangels site - GO THERE AND CHECK IT OUT) contacted me and PIMW is her Fan fic of the week... so I'm feeling rather yay about that. So yes. You get to read this if it's something that interests you.

A few chapters ago I referred to 'drabbles' I have. A drabble I think is normally like 500 words and this is a lot longer than that. The better term is probably "deleted scenes" (thanks to _didyoumissmeofcourseyoudid _for referring to them as being like the deleted stuff from HSM2 and making me decide this is a better label) but I must note that they are not only deleted scenes but they are **UNDERDEVELOPED** and **UNPOLISHED** deleted scenes. Basically, it's stuff that in my brain - it happened within the story. But it was cut for various reasons. And I have it written and I thought, why the hell not just post it.

Don't expect my best work. I reitorate. **UNDERDEVELOPED. UNPOLISHED.** Also not beta read - so no mental bashings to my beta reader if you think this stuff is garbage! I'm not someone who sits and just types a chapter and posts straight away. I write a chapter, I edit it, I rewrite it, it goes to the beta reader and more often than not is rewritten again and again. This is like a draft 2... I made some scribbles in the notebook then typed it up... and just added a bit before posting it since I wasn't going to post some completely hideous piece of crap. But a lot of the little things I add in the later editing stages will focus on the flow of the chapter and just general polishing and wording things most effectively and making Chad sound like Chad and not some Australian surfer who I seem to channel a lot when writing teenage boys. There is little flow between all of this disjointed crap. Anyway. I'm not bothering with that extreme detail of editing.

**UNDERDEVELOPED. UNPOLISHED. YOU ARE WARNED.**

**The Context -**

In Part 3 of PIMW, Troy and Gabriella come in during the middle of a conversation with the gang and Coach Bolton. This conversation they interrupted is basically when Coach Bolton was propositioning to the guys that they come to Phoenix, Arizona as a surprise. When I first wrote it - we're talking wayyyyy back when I was writing HWY I was making notes on this part of the story, back when I thought that I would make HWY longer and incorporate this plot line. Then I decided to write a Troy centric separate story so this was cut because it was from the opposite point of view, you actually saw the conversation and you knew about the surprise being planned... and you were kinda supposed to be surprised as well. But I think it was obvious. ANYWAY. This is just a bunch of random disjointed conversations in relation to the planning process; and then just a couple of little things in reaction to the competition as its going on from other characters and stuff.

**PIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMW**

Jack Bolton's usual lunch time regime of coffee-sandwich-newspaper - was disrupted. This time however, it was his own doing. A sudden brainwave while thinking about the junior varsity basketball team and who he suspected would make it onto the varsity team in the following season.

He headed straight toward the cafeteria, and scanned the room from a safe distance. He laid eyes upon his sons 3 best friends, as well as Taylor McKessie, however neither Troy nor Gabriella were in sight. He approached the group.

"Hi Coach," Chad greeted him cheerfully.

"Troy's not here," Zeke informed him. "He and Gabriella are studying at the library."

Jack raised his eyebrows. His son, STUDYING, at lunch time? He knew very well what went on at the back of the bike shed.

"No really, they are studying," Taylor insisted, reading Jack's mind. "They have a lab report for chemistry due tomorrow."

"Well, I wasn't looking for Troy anyway. I was looking for you three," he said, motioning to the boys.

They exchanged looks. "Why, what did we do?" Jason asked warily.

"You didn't DO anything - at least not that I'm aware of. I have a proposition for you. What are your plans for spring break?"

"Nada," Zeke said.

"Nothing planned," Jason said.

"Same," Chad added.

"Pending parental permission and funding of course, would you be at all interested in coming with Lucille and I to Arizona, to watch the basketball competition? Troy's been pretty stressed lately and I was thinking that he would be really excited if we got you guys to come as a surprise. Not to mention that I think you'll really benefit from watching a competition of this callibre. So, what do you think?"

The guys exchanged looks. "Subject to parental permission and funding, I'd say, HELL YEAH!" Chad declared.

"Sounds awesome Coach," Jason agreed.

"I'd say you can count me in," Zeke said.

"Uh, guys? What about Gabriella?" Taylor spoke up.

"What ABOUT Gabriella?" Jason asked.

"Umm... I don't mean any disrespect to your idea Coach Bolton because it sounds really fantastic. But umm... well Gabriella has kinda spent every other second of the last three days complaining that she wants to go and watch the competition. And... I think that perhaps Troy would really like it if she was there."

Jack turned to Taylor. "Well my number one goal here is actually in relation to the basketball side... I'm sure that Gabriella would like to come along but these guys will be there to appreciate the competition itself. And given that I only have so many places in my car..."

"I'm not giving up my place!" Jason said quickly. "Shotgun!"

"Me neither," Zeke chimed in.

"And as I have known Troy since preschool..."

"And who has Troy been turning to lately with all of his stress and whatnot?" Taylor asked quietly.

Chad glared at her. "Because the stress is in relation to SCHOOLWORK of course he's going to turn to his genius girlfriend."

"So you're all too pigheaded to care about what your friend would want?"

"He would want US there too, you can't break us up. That's ridiculous. It's like saying, who cares about Troy more?" Zeke pointed out.

"Well maybe Gabriella and I will just go there on our own!" Taylor countered.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella's curious voice asked.

The group turned around to see Gabriella and Troy, hand in hand, having arrived and standing behind them. Luckily, Taylor was a quick thinker.

"Uh… To the mall," she said quickly. "I asked the boys if they wanted to come shopping. Which, they did not. You'll come with me, won't you?"

"Umm I guess. What are we shopping for?"

Taylor coughed. Great. Details. Trust the genius to want details. "Uh. Well…"

"Tampons!" Jason supplied.

Trust Jason to work as hard as he could without even know to screw up the cover. Taylor inwardly groaned, but tried to keep a smile on her face. Gabriella gave her a look, indicating that she knew that something was going on.

"Well Taylor, I'm not surprised the boys didn't want to come," Gabriella remarked, looking at her friend strangely. "Hi Coach Bolton!"

"Gabriella," Jack greeted her.

"Why are you here?" Troy asked his father warily.

"Well Troy, it might surprise you to learn that I work here at East High. I work, and they pay me, and then I pay for you to wear clothes and eat food."

Troy sighed. "I meant here. In the cafeteria. With my friends."

"Just letting Chad know that even though Coach Wilson is absent today, the track and field team is still meeting after school," Jack informed him.

"Thanks for letting me know Coach," Chad said.

"You're welcome. You home tonight?" Jack asked, looking at his son.

Troy nodded. "Yeah, but I might be late. I'm going to the driving range with the golf team."

"That's right. You need a lift home?"

"Nah, Chris is giving me a ride."

"Right then. See you later on, goodbye all."

Troy turned to Chad, raising his eyebrows. "That was weird, my dad coming to tell you personally about that."

Chad decided they needed to change the subject as quickly as possible. "Whatever. You get the report done?"

"Yeah man."

"You going to the gym tomorrow afternoon? I was thinking I might come by."

...

After lunch and before drama class, Gabriella and Taylor had pre calculus together. The moment the bell rang, Taylor was quick to grab Gabriella and drag her in the direction of class, to fill her in on the conversation.

"I KNEW that Troy's dad didn't like me," Gabriella said, clearly aghast. "He's always nice to me and Troy says he's over the whole musical thing. But I just get this vibe that he doesn't approve of my influence."

"Would you REALLY want to go?"

"YES!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Troy's my boyfriend and he has this incredible passion and drive for basketball. He's not just a jock, you know? He really dedicates himself. And I haven't even seen him play. This competition is going to be so important to him. And... and I want to be there for him."

"My sister is going away for spring break. Maybe I could borrow her car..." Taylor mused.

Gabriella's eyes widened. "You're really serious, aren't you?"

"Well yeah! I totally understand that you would want to go. And... and I think I would like to go too. Troy is my friend too after all."

Gabriella looked at her slyly. "You just wanna hang out with Chad outside of school more often."

Taylor's mouth twitched. "That's nonsense," she said breezily, but they both knew that it was a part of it. "This is about discrimination against women. That they think that just because they are boys they have more of a right to go than you. We are standing up, not just for you, but for all of womenkind. This..."

"Uh Taylor? I think you're going a bit overboard."

...

Gabriella felt a need to be prepared for the competition. She and Taylor had proven at the decathlon state final that they had retained a lot of basketball information from being around the constant basketball related conversations held by the boys. They were allocated a Physical Education question and selected basketball to be the focus of their questions. And done very well. However Gabriella felt that her knowledge lacked a practical basis.

For the drive from Albuquerque to Phoenix, she had asked Coach Bolton if he could bring along any training guides he had. He was more than happy to oblige. He very much so liked being able to spread his love of the game. And love of the game begins with an understanding of the game.

Gabriella diligently went through the books and then compiled her list of questions to ask.

"So... Troy said that he was training as shooting guard at the last training camp, right?" she said. "Now... why?"

...

"Gabriella! Stay still!" Taylor said exasperated.

Gabriella was practically bouncing up and down from her seat in the bleachers. She was so excited and yet so nervous all at the same time. In just minutes, Troy would be out on the court. In just minutes, he would know that they were there. Any doubt in her mind that their visit was going to be important to him was quashed when she had spoken to him on the phone earlier. She knew now that their presence would mean a lot to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit restless."

"A BIT?" Taylor said.

"How are we gonna do this guys?" Chad asked. "When they run on or what?"

All eyes turned to Gabriella to provide the answer.

"How should I know?" she exclaimed.

They didn't get the chance to answer. The announcer introduced the Roadrunners opponents, who ran out onto the court to be met by cheers from their supports. And then the Roadrunners were announced. The Wildcat crew were whooping and hollering but Troy's expression was one of concentration. He wasn't even looking toward the crowd. He headed straight to their bench to put down his towel and water bottle.

"He looks nervous," Gabriella said, biting her lip.

"That's okay. Troy does well when he's nervous. Gets him fired up," Jack said confidently.

Gabriella wasn't so sure.

The boys ran out onto the court, each team given a half a court to conduct a final ten minute warm up.

"I thought Troy said that Spencer was point guard?" Jason said.

"He did," Chad said darkly.

"What's that mean?" Gabriella said. "Huh?"

"See how this Jackson character is running the warm up?" Chad said, gesturing.

Gabriella watched, observing as Jackson controlled who had possession of the ball. "Yeah, so?"

"Jackson is their centre. Spencer is the point guard. The point guard is like the leader out there. He runs the warm up."

Gabriella did the athletic math in her brain. That Jackson and Troy didn't get along. That Jackson had taken over the warm up. That Troy was now standing, arms folded. Steam was practically emitting from his ears.

"Maybe we should do something now?" Gabriella suggested quietly. "Perk him up."

"Agreed," Chad said firmly. "Wildcat chant? Girls, big voices will be required."

A chant rang out from a group of supporters for one of the players from the other team. Providing an appropriate moment of timing.

Gabriella clutched onto Taylor's hand as Chad stood on his chair, bellowing, "WHAT TEAM?"

Never in her life had Gabriella shouted as loudly as she did at that moment. She didn't even know that she could yell as loudly as she did. And yet from somewhere within, she found the volume to match the boys volume level of shouting. She had a feeling she might lose her voice by the end of the week.

But the look on Troy's face made it all worthwhile.

...

The game ended and immediately Jack Bolton stood and stalked away from the group, not even saying anything to his wife. Obviously he was steaming over Troy's behaviour, furious that he had gotten himself thrown out of the match. Lucille sighed, turning to the teenagers left in her charge.

"At least they won," she said optimistically.

"I wanna go talk to him," Chad said quietly, but firmly.

"I think Coach Bolton is talking to him," Taylor said, equally quietly.

"All the more reason why I want to talk to him."

Gabriella glanced at Chad, and how adamant he was. She was well aware of the pressure Troy felt from his dad. Well intentioned pressure yes. But pressure nonetheless. Lucille didn't say anything, but silently was in agreement that perhaps her son would benefit from the presence of his friends.

Chad glanced at Gabriella. "You coming?"

"You want me to come?" she asked evenly.

"Don't you want to come?"

"Yes. But you WANT me to come?" she repeated, placing emphasis on the WANT.

Chad and Gabriella were looking directly at one another. The best friend and the girlfriend. Potentially they could be adversaries, fighting over who was best capable of providing the support and comfort required.

Instead, they chose to be comrades.

"Yes. I want you to come," Chad said firmly.

"We might go back to the motel then. Will you two be okay to get back on your own?" Lucille asked.

Chad and Gabriella nodded, and headed in the direction of the gym where they assumed Troy would still be.

...

After the low of Troy and Jackson's fight during the first match, the competition took a turn for the better as far as Troy's contingent was concerned. The very next game provided Gabriella with her first moment of classic Troy Bolton basketball. The team was rotated, bringing Will on from the bench to centre, moving Troy to point guard. As the boys executed a classic play, resulting in a spectacular three point jump shot from Troy, Gabriella rose to her feet, cheering with excitement, cheering with elation - cheering with pride.

Lucille Bolton watched curiously as her son's girlfriend gazed down at her son, the adoration and enamour written all over her face. It would be easy for Lucille to be cautious and skeptical around the girl who had stolen her boys heart. But looking on at Gabriella, and watching as her gaze met Troy's from the court, his bright smile directed at her and only at her - Lucille felt no caution.

...

**Author's note - Did I mention that this is UNDERDEVELOPED AND UNPOLISHED?**

**Anyway. Let me know what you thought. And I promise that it shouldn't be too long until the ACTUAL next chapter - which I remind you, is Gabriella's birthday! The big 1-7!**


	18. Don't Wanna Make the Same Mistakes

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**PART 17 - DON'T WANNA MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES**

**Disclaimer - Yes. I am in love with Zac. But I don't own him or his characters or any friends of the characters. Don't sue me. I just write for fun.**

**Author's Note - Hello from the sunny South of France! It is my last day in mainland Europe - I fly to London tomorrow to spend a few weeks travelling around Britain. Any of you Brits out there, feel free to invite me to use your computer for free and I promise the sequel will come out more efficiently hahaha. **

**Sorry about the delay and cheating you by putting up the deleted scene. :-) Here is the second to last official chapter of PIMW but there will also be two or three more unofficial chapters. Please refer to author's note at the end. A special welcome on board to the bunch of new people who suddenly found this story - can I suggest that if you enjoy my work, add me to your author alert because there is plenty more to come from me. **

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

On Saturday, Chad, Zeke and Jason randomly rocked up at Troy's house in the hour preceding the requested time to arrive at Gabriella's. Logically it made little sense to all go from Troy's - Chad had to pass Gabriella's street on the way there. However the notion of a few rounds on the PlayStation at Troy's prior to leaving was the selling point.

They began the short walk over - Jason lugging the giant gift basket of presents the three boys had pitched in on.

"Where's your present?" Zeke asked.

Troy smiled. "She made me wait til my actual birthday. She can wait also."

"Revenge is sweet," Jason declared.

"You got it. I hope Miss Montez makes her brownies. You guys have to try them, they are the best..."

"We've had them," Chad interrupted.

"Oh?" Troy said, clearly confused.

"We had a few planning sessions for your party at Gab's," he explained.

"Well, planning sessions is a loose term. Random hanging out and then, gee, we should talk about the party," Jason said.

"That's because you two did nothing. It was me and Gab and Tay who did all the work," Chad said.

"Hey, I baked the cake! And organised all the food. And made the jelly shots!" Zeke said defensively.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Troy rang the doorbell, to be met by Elena Montez.

"Evening boys," she greeted them all.

"I smell brownies baking!" Zeke said gleefully, as they stepped through the front door.

Elena smiled. "I thought you'd all be happy about that. Zeke, I wrote out the recipe for you like you asked."

Zeke gasped. "Are you sure? If it's some family tradition or..."

"Nonsense, it's nothing like that."

She led them into the lounge room, where Taylor, Martha and Gabriella were already sitting around. Gabriella was kneeling in front of the coffee table, poring over a set of books which the girls had gotten her. She was so immersed in them that she hadn't even heard the boys arrive. It was only when a set of warm, muscular arms hugged her from behind that she realised they were there.

"Happy birthday Gab!" Chad said.

"Oi, hands off," Troy admonished teasingly.

Chad's hands released from around her, and she stood to be engulfed in a giant hug from her boyfriend, his strong arms lifting her slightly from the ground, eliciting a slight giggle.

"Happy pretend birthday," he murmured in her ear, kissing her gently.

"Okay, enough of him. We come bearing gifts," Jason said, holding up one of the largest gift hampers she had ever seen.

"Is this some biblical reference? The three wise men bearing gifts?" Gabriella asked. "Actually hang on, that was three WISE men, wasn't it?"

A series of "ooohs!" rang out.

"That was harsh, Gabriella," Zeke said, pretending to be offended.

"We might have to take this back," Chad said, referring to the hamper Jason was still holding.

Gabriella shook her head. "I revoke everything I said. Now, gimme gimme!"

Jason plonked the gift basket down on the table. Zeke, Jason and Chad had pitched in to get her a giant gift hamper of 'girlie presents'; like those she had identified to Troy upon giving him his present. Troy couldn't help but feel a little smug as she happily oohed over each item. Vanilla and honey scented bath products, a blue stationery set. He had significant influence upon the selection of items, which she was well aware of and let him know that.

"Gee guys, how did you know that I like vanilla?" she teased, throwing Troy a sideways glance.

"We are very observant. You smell like vanilla," Jason said solemnly.

They had additionally thrown in her very own red and white striped scarf.

"Ready for next season when we expect your presence at every single one of our games," Zeke informed her.

The doorbell rang again - signalling the arrival of the final guest. Taylor went to answer the door, and returned with Kelsi just a minute later.

"Okay, I know we're here for your birthday but can I just quickly vent about something," Kelsi requested.

She looked completely exhausted, her index and middle fingers rubbing her temples.

"Yes. Vent," Gabriella said immediately.

"Now, hate is a strong word to use about anyone. But I just want to declare right now that I very strongly dislike Sharpay," Kelsi declared. "She was being absolutely completely impossible at rehearsal today. the spring musical is NEXT WEEKEND and all she can do is request changes to choreography and the key and the tempo and ARGH! Are you guys sure you don't wanna learn the whole thing in a week?"

Gabriella smiled sympathetically. "Even if I wanted to, the decathlon final is next weekend so I will be unavailable."

"You just need to stand up to the bitch," Chad declared.

"That's easier said than done."

"You were really great during Twinkle Towne though Kels, you stood your ground with her," Gabriella said encouragingly.

"Not really. Ryan was always intervening for me to get her to calm her down. You were the one who knew how to handle her."

"I did?"

"Yes! You always managed to be polite and nice and yet be assertive and not let her push you around. Why can't I be more like you?" Kelsi sighed, and took a deep breath in, and then a deep breath out.. "Anyway. Enough of that. I feel better now that I got it out." She pulled open her shoulder bag, and pulled out a beautifully wrapped present with a shiny silver bow. "Happy birthday!"

"Oh! How was golf?" Taylor suddenly asked Troy.

His face broke into a smile. "Really fantastic."

"Another trophy for the overflowing cabinet?"

"Just a medal, actually. They didn't have trophies today."

Gabriella looked up, feeling guilty for not having asked herself - she was distracted by all the pretty things in front of her, now having unwrapped a handwritten copy of the sheet music from Twinkle Towne; a _Piano for Beginners_ book and a 'voucher' from Kelsi to give her piano lessons over summer.

"And how was this?" Gabriella asked, poking his thigh.

"All good. No pain at all."

Gabriella's face broke into a smile. "Awesome. That's so, so good."

She knew just how important it was to Troy that his fitness was completely back on track; that being able to train would bring back the feeling of order and control over his life.

"Anyway. What's your plan for tonight?" Jason asked.

Gabriella glanced out the window. It had been showering on and off all afternoon.

"Well I wanted us all to walk over to the pizza parlour and video store so we could get the supplies but... I think the weather might prevent that from occurring. I could order the pizza in but my DVD collection is a little limited. And I'd rather we got something we all agreed on."

Troy snorted. "Good luck on finding something that all eight of us equally want to see."

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

Despite a collection of licensed drivers in the room, Martha was the only one who had driven over - as she shared a car with an older sibling.

"We could all squish into my car?" she suggested, her tone indicating it wasn't a plan she liked.

"Absolutely will not be occurring under my watch," Elena's voice rang out from the study.

"You promised no eavesdropping!" Gabriella cried.

"Gabi, you are all standing in the hallway, would you like me to put earplugs in?"

"We don't all need to go," Taylor pointed out. "We could just call the people back here or something."

"Yeah right. You girls will go and then get some tear jerker or something stupid like that," Chad said.

"I want everyone to go. Picking the movie is half the fun," Gabriella declared.

"I could just do two car trips," Martha suggested.

Elena appeared from the study, and was looking at Troy contemplatively.

"Uh, do I have something on my face?" he asked nervously, noticing her stare.

Elena's face broke into a little smile, and then she unclenched her fist and held out to him her set of car keys.

"You drive to the store and back. Nowhere else. One scratch and you will never see my daughter again."

Troy gulped. "Are we sure that we all need to go?"

"YES!" Six voices rang out simultaneously.

Gabriella meanwhile was staring at her mother disapprovingly. "You'll let TROY drive your car, but not your own daughter? Your very own flesh and blood?"

"You might recall that Troy has his license and you do not," Elena said patiently.

"Yes, and WHY don't I have my license? Because you won't teach me how to drive!"

"I let you drive my car once, and do you really want to talk about that experience?"

Gabriella blushed, recalling almost running over a pedestrian and then proceeding to shriek and cry whilst still driving. Elena had been shrieking back 'HANDS ON THE WHEEL!!' to which all Gabriella could do was clutch onto the wheel for dear life.

"Troy could teach you to drive," Taylor suggested with a smirk.

"NO!" four male voices said simultaneously - the loudest being Troy's somewhat panicked cry.

"Why not?" Gabriella asked, somewhat offended by Troy's lack of enthusiasm for the notion.

"It's like, against the rules," Jason informed her.

"The man bible forbids it," Chad added.

"Thou shalt not teach thou girlfriend to drive," Zeke said solemnly.

"That's ridiculous," Gabriella scoffed.

"How about we talk about this some other time? Like... after you've taken some drivers ed classes. And... when I have my own wheels maybe?" Troy said, trying to put off the conversation.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Finally, two movies and enough pizza to feed an army was rounded up and brought back to Gabriella's house. There was jovial bantering, laughter, random chatter; as they devoured the pizzas in record time. Troy remained relatively quiet, instead preferring to observe the interactions. He still found it amazing that the eight of them were sitting in the room at once. Six months ago, there was no way that he and his friends would have contemplated an intimate social event with Martha Cox, Taylor McKessie or Kelsi Nielsen. And yet there they were.

Gabriella labelled him as the central figure within their lives.

Yet funnily enough, it was she who brought them all together.

"Okay I'm taking a drinks order," Gabriella announced.

"Beer," Jason asked cheekily.

Gabriella thwacked him on the arm. "Not available. We have Pepsi, 7up, Sunkist..."

"Stay sitting, I'll get it," Troy admonished.

"Wow you're well trained," Zeke remarked.

Troy glared at him. "I am a polite, well mannered person. The pre birthday girl shall remain seated. What do you all want?"

Finally the order was taken and Taylor jumped up to help Troy to retrieve the requests. As they entered the kitchen, she reached into her bag, handing Troy an envelope. He smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

"So how you feeling?" Taylor asked.

"You referring to our phone call the other night?"

"Of course."

Troy shrugged. "All right. Just in a weird head space. It's all good. Did uh... did you happen to talk to Gabriella about it?"

Taylor shook her head. "No."

"Good."

"But she did tell me about your phone call... she's a smart girl Troy, she knows that there's more going on in that constantly ticking brain of yours."

"Yeah. I sensed that she just didn't wanna pry. I think I will talk to her about it but... just waiting for the right time."

Taylor nodded. "Good."

Meanwhile, Chad had set up the first DVD (Good Luck Chuck - as voted by the boys) and everyone had settled into the living room. Gabriella was seated in the middle of the couch next to Kelsi, and patted the gap beside her, looking at Troy. He smiled and sat down. Gabriella immediately moved over, sitting so close to him that she had in fact left enough room for someone between the two of them and Kelsi. His arm automatically drooped around her shoulder; her arm encircling around his stomach. Troy dropped a lazy kiss to her forehead.

"Okay. Whoever has the remote, press play," Gabriella instructed.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

"Jessica Alba is so fucking hot," Chad declared, as the movie came to a close.

"I thought Beyonce was more your style?" Jason asked.

"Either way man, either way."

"Good to know you like Barbie types," Taylor remarked.

Chad glared at her. "HOW are either of those two BARBIE types? Barbie would be... I dunno... Jessica Simpson."

"Jessica Simpson is hot too though," Jason said.

"They are Barbie types. They are like, THIS big with long hair," Taylor said, holding her thumb and index finger just inches apart.

"You're just jealous," Chad scoffed.

Taylor stared at him. "As if."

Elena Montez poked her head into the room. "Gabi sweetheart, could I borrow you for a moment?"

Gabriella disentangled herself from Troy and left the living room. When Gabriella wasn't looking, Elena made a frantic motion in the direction of the kitchen. Troy and Taylor immediately leapt up - having been informed of Elena's scheme. They scurried into the kitchen, retrieving the cake which Elena had just brought from the garage fridge. Taylor found the candles, sparklers and lighter where Elena had instructed her they would be. They carried the items into the living room, and quickly making room on the coffee table. Troy was fumbling with the lighter, unable to get the flame to stay alight.

"Hurry up!" Kelsi yelped.

"I'm trying!"

"Here, let the fire master do it," Jason said, holding his hand out.

"Just because you used to use a lighter to melt golf balls into cubes does not make you fire master," Troy grumbled, but begrudgingly handed the lighter over.

Jason quickly lit the candles, and in perfect timing, Gabriella's voice could be heard.

"I swear they were in the hall cupboard, I distinctly remember unpacking them... but maybe I'm remembering it from the time before when we moved," Gabriella mused, as she came into the room.

Troy couldn't take his eyes off her, excited with anticipation. She spotted them standing around the cake, smiling brightly, illuminated by the seventeen candles and the sparklers decorating the surface.

He stood, surrounded by friends, singing the loudest of them all.

"Happy birthday dear Gabriella, happy birthday to you."

And it was Troy who led with the "Hip Hip" and waited for the enthusiastic "Hooray" to follow.

Gabriella was flabbergasted. She hadn't even thought about a cake - it had been so many years since she'd done anything for her birthday that a cake hadn't even entered her mind. Her eyes were even a little teary.

"Go on! You have to blow out the candles and make a wish," Kelsi urged.

Gabriella closed her eyes in contemplation, then leaned over and blew, smiling with satisfaction. Her mother handed her a knife.

"Hang on," Gabriella said, glancing at Jason who she was closest to, and quickly moved onto the other side of the coffee table and making sure she was beside Troy.

"Ouch Gabriella, am I that repulsive?" Jason said teasingly.

Gabriella ignored him, and proceeded to cut the cake through to the bottom. Very aware of her mother's presence in the back of the room, she turned to Troy and gave him a very tame version of the kisses they would typically exchange.

"Speech, speech," Zeke called.

"This isn't a 21st," Gabriella protested.

"We don't care, we wanna hear from the birthday girl," Chad said.

"Speech, speech," Chad, Jason and Zeke called simultaneously.

"I just want cake," Kelsi said, eyeing the rather delicious looking concoction.

Elena appeared in appropriate timing, holding plates and forks, and proceeded to assist in dividing slices between the group which they began to devour hungrily. Spontaneously, Gabriella gave her mom a tight hug.

"Thank you for letting me have my friends over," she said, kissing her on the cheek.

Gabriella then glanced around at her cake consuming friends. "And thank you all for coming."

"See, that's a speech," Chad said, his mouth filled with cake.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Troy declared.

"What if the Lakers had invited you to come train with them tonight?" Gabriella asked teasingly.

"Hmm... let's see," Troy said, pausing in mock contemplation. "Basketball... girlfriends birthday... basketball... I think the girlfriends birthday will win any day."

They finished up with the cake, and Gabriella returned to her place snuggled next to Troy; as Martha and Zeke retrieved beverage refills and Kelsi set up the second DVD.

Troy leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Gabriella's lips and whispering in her ear, "So, what did you wish for?"

"Nuh-uh, you know I can't tell you," she said, a smile toying on her lips.

"Well, I hope it comes true."

Gabriella glanced up at Troy as he gazed at her. "Between you and I... I think it already has," she murmured, pressing her lips to his, initiating a probing kiss.

Troy felt something hit his head, but ignored it.

"Nice aim," Jason said.

"I'm a pitcher, what do you expect. Oi, lovebirds, no PDA allowed."

Troy pulled away, seeing a crumpled napkin on the floor, and threw it back at Chad. "Shut the fuck up."

"Troy, I would expect better behaviour from you. Gabriella's mother is just upstairs," Zeke admonished.

Troy whispered in Gabriella's ear. "I swear that when Chad and Taylor start going out, I vow to ruin every Goddamn freaking moment I can."

Gabriella giggled, and snuggled closer in to him.

Often the most important moments in life come in sudden epiphanies, as a result of a suddenly gained perspective. Perspective as to what was really important.

Gabriella was important.

Sitting on the Montez couch with her snuggled by his side, surrounded by a group of his friends, her friends, THEIR friends - Troy felt content. Gazing down at Gabriella as she struggled to keep her eyes open, eventually succumbing to her exhaustion and napping within his arms - he felt pride. He felt admiration. He knew at that moment that he was the luckiest guy on the planet to have such an amazing girl to call his own.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

For the members of the East High Scholastic Decathlon Team, the next four days consisted of a frenzy of preparations. They were to fly out from Santa Fe to Los Angeles on Thursday - Gabriella's birthday - for the national final being held over the weekend.

For Troy Bolton, the next four days consisted of a frenzy of preparations. He took advantage of Gabriella's absence to finalise his present for her. Given her not being available on her actual birthday, he decided that creativity was required to ensure she received her gift.

On Wednesday night - at precisely 11:56pm - Troy made a phone call.

"Troy?" Gabriella's voice answered. "Why are you calling so late? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," he assured her. "Come out to the front of your house."

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

Troy was leaning against the side of his mother's car, parked by the curb in front of Gabriella's house. He watched as the front porch light flicked on, then the door creaked open and a pyjama and bathrobe clad Gabriella appeared. Her face lit up with a smile upon seeing him, and she approached him.

He held up his watch, pointing. "8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... happy birthday!"

"You could have said that on the phone," she remarked, somewhat amused.

Troy leaned over and pressed his lips sweetly to hers. "But I couldn't have done that over the phone."

"No, no you couldn't," Gabriella agreed.

"And since your team flies out to LA tomorrow, surely you knew I would have to get your present to you SOMEHOW," Troy added, and opened the door to the car to pull out wrapped package 1.

Gabriella tore open the wrapping to reveal her very own mixed CD, which she squealed at. "Yay!"

The second gift that Troy revealed was a stuffed 'Wildcat' which he had taken a trip to the zoo to acquire.

"Since you wanted to call the monkey I won for you at the arcade Wildcat and I refused, I decided I should get you a real Wildcat," Troy said teasingly.

Gabriella hugged it lovingly. "He's perfect."

"Okay and now the final one..." Troy opened the back door of the car and emerged with a large poster sized photo frame with a collage of photos inside. "I couldn't wrap it sorry, it was too big. So I hope this blue bow here is enough."

Gabriella was gazing at the frame lovingly, her finger lightly hovering above each of the photos Troy had included. There were photos from the Twinkle Towne opening night, Jason's party, the state decathlon final, Troy's birthday, the Spring Fling, random school photos. Photos of all of her friends, all of the people at East High who Troy knew to be important to her. At the centre was a photo of Troy and Gabriella from the Spring Fling.

"Troy... this is amazing... you put so much work into this!"

"You keep saying how you want your room to be more decoarated. And... so I thought you might like it."

"LIKE it? I absolutely love it!"

She carefully set the frame down inside the car so she could throw her arms around Troy and hug him tightly, and then kiss him passionately.

"So yes... happy birthday," Troy said softly.

"You're so amazing," Gabriella murmured, pressing her lips to his softly once again, a finger lingering along the side of his face.

"And on that note... I would actually like to talk to you about something," Troy said, his tone indicating how serious he was.

Gabriella looked at him curiously. "Is this a, I'm breaking up with you talk because there are rules about birthdays and..."

"You know it's not that," Troy said, somewhat amused.

"Okay then... what's up?"

Troy cleared his throat. "I umm... okay. I've just been thinking lots. About stuff. And I wanted to share some of it with you coz... well it's about you."

"About me?" she said, her voice light and teasing.

"Umm... you know last week when I went all weird? And I just said it was school and stuff?"

Gabriella nodded. "I thought there was more to it."

"It uh... okay. I don't know how to explain this."

"Just ramble Troy, I'm pretty good at being able to draw something coherent from it."

"I like to be in control of stuff. Fix things around me. Like with Chad and Taylor. Or with Jacqui and Scott. Or... you know... whatever. At the dance, you were saying how I don't always have to be the keeper. It's funny coz... when you first came to East High, this is exactly how I felt about you. Like I wanted to take you under my wing. Make you realise that we really could do the call backs. Bring you into my circle of friends. Look after you at Jason's party."

Gabriella nodded, and clasped his hand. "And you did."

"Yeah but then... things in my own life got crazy. And I didn't even realise that the roles had been reversed. That... that I wasn't there supporting you and instead it was you, always there, unconditionally, supporting me. Keeping me sane and grounded. Which... which I think I had taken for granted."

"Hey... you've still been there for me. I know that. That's what a relationship is about. Being there for each other," Gabriella said, rubbing her hand along his thigh.

"But I know it's been more you there for me than vice versa. Anyway that's not the point. The point is that... is that I just wanted to say how amazing you are. And... how you've just... you've just been this rock for me, and become such an integral part of not just my life but all of our lives. Which I didn't get for a while, I didn't get just how important you've become within our circle."

"I'm not important," Gabriella said, blushing.

"But you are! And... and I feel guilty for not understanding that, for not appreciating that. I mean... before, if I was 'going out' with a girl, I wasn't just going round with her. All her friends - i.e. the rest of the cheer squad - and most of my friends and just half the school really - they would know our business. You didn't go out with someone because you liked them. You went out with them to keep up appearances. Because as varsity captain, I was supposed to have a good looking but somewhat dumb girlfriend to have on my arm as I walked about the school. And I hated it."

"Umm... okay..."

"This has a point. When you and me were sneaking around, practising for the call backs and stuff... there was a part of me that really really enjoyed it just because it wasn't about my friends. It was about me, and it was about you. I had you to myself. And I liked that."

"And now you think you don't have me to yourself, and that you have to share with all your friends again?" Gabriella asked.

"That sounds so shallow and selfish, doesn't it? I mean, it's not really like that. I couldn't imagine being in a relationship with someone who wasn't within my friendship circle. My life is already crazy and hectic enough without having clear segregations between my friends and my girlfriend. But last week all this stuff was hitting me. I was watching you at school and just having fun and... at first, I was feeling jealous and then I was feeling betrayed and I know that none of it makes sense. And then it hit me that it wasn't really about jealousy, it was about being angry with myself for not realising how much you've grown, and that everyone else seemed to get it but I hadn't."

"Troy..."

"Wait hang on. Just... I know that all sounds bad but I don't feel like that now. I just... I guess it hadn't hit me that you really are a part of our group. It's a GOOD thing that you are. I know how happy you are and I think that you are the type of person who brings out the best side in whoever you are with. And that's why people love being around you. That's why the guys can't shut up about how awesome you are. That's why... that's why I... why I really... why I wanna be with you like, every second of every day."

Troy trailed off. "So yes, in summary, your boyfriend is a crazy asshole and happy birthday."

Troy couldn't even look at her. He didn't really know where any of what he had said had come from. He'd just opened his mouth and words had poured out. And now he was petrified as to how she would be feeling in response. Gabriella could sense his fear, his worry. She picked up his hand with hers, lacing her fingers through his.

"Troy... I'm not upset that you were feeling like that. You can't control how you feel. I'm... I admire you for being able to sort through your feelings, I admire you for being able to talk to me about them."

"Even if they're crazy fucked up feelings?"

"Hey. Don't ever describe your feelings as 'crazy' or 'fucked up' because they're not. They're your feelings. They are real. You... you've been through a lot this semester. I know that your life has been kinda turned upside down, I get that because so has mine. And yeah, most of it is good. But there's always going to be little bits of negativity that come along with all the goodness."

"You need to know that I'm okay now. That... that I was just being crazy last week. But I just wanted to tell you because... I don't know why... maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut," Troy mused.

Gabriella brought her finger to his lips. "Never keep your mouth shut. Always talk to me about what you're feeling. Promise?"

Troy smiled and nodded. "Here's my promise," he murmured, and pulled her towards him to gently press his lips to hers for a lingering kiss.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Author's Note - One chapter remains. The finale/epilogue, whatever you want to call it. I just wanted to say that some of you might have perceived this chapter as being relatively 'fluffy' and that the general shift of the story has moved from the angst back toward a fluffy basis. There is logic behind that, there is logic to all that I write. ****I'll elaborate more in my author's ramble in the final chapter which is about as long as the final chapter itself. How much do you want to read it? Enough to leave me lots of loving? You know you wanna... :-)**


	19. Not Gonna Stop Til I Get My Shot

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**EPILOGUE - NOT GONNA STOP TIL I GET MY SHOT**

**Disclaimer - Not mine. I wish. Then I'd get PAID for the slavery I put into this!**

**Author's note - Hello from London! I was going to wait another couple of days but figured I'd just get it over and done with. The finale. See my giant giant giant giant giant author's ramble at the end which is possibly as long as the epilogue itself. For now, I'll just let the words speak for themselves. **

**ZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZEZE**

Troy gazed at the ball, as it left his fingertips and sailed through the air. He heard the clear swish of the ball going through the hoop, nothing but net.

"Snap!" Troy exclaimed, pumping his fist. He proceeded to sprint around the half court, taking a victory lap, waving to imaginary fans. "Take that, suckers."

Troy and Zeke exchanged a high five, followed by a low five and then a complicated man hand shake.

"You wouldn't know he's been out for weeks, would you?" Jason said despondently.

"Make it first team to 50," Chad goaded.

Troy shook his head. "Sorry Danforth. My ball, my hoop, my house - we play it my way."

"You're just chicken," Chad taunted.

"I have to take off anyway man. So unless you wanna take them on by yourself..." Jason trailed off.

Chad stared at his friend. "You can't take off!"

"Actually, I have to take off too," Zeke chimed in.

Chad and Troy followed the other two inside as they gathered their belongings and left, and then proceeded to raid the refrigerator. Chad pulled a carton of juice out of the fridge, throwing it to Troy.

"One on one? First to fifteen?" Chad challenged him.

Troy glanced at his watch. "For a bit. I have to be at Gabriella's at 4."

"Studying?"

"Yeah."

Chad sighed. "You'll have to take the girl on a real date again sooner or later."

"Hey man, she's the one who keeps saying we should study together. My grades are looking pretty shit hot. I'm not complaining," Troy said, palms up. "Besides, you're the one who spends half his free time studying with Taylor."

"But Taylor and I actually study. Thanks to Taylor I might actually pass every subject this year. Unlike you and Gab..." Chad said, his tone filled with innuendo.

"Gabriella and I study! Then we make out for a bit... but we do also study!" Troy insisted.

Troy turned serious. "Hey... come check something out."

He led Chad upstairs and into his room, and began to rifle through that Chad knew to be his underwear drawer.

"Dude, I don't need to see your Bonds," Chad said.

Troy ignored him, and produced a little silk bag, and tipped out a necklace. The pendant was a shiny T with a ruby stone.

"Gee, you shouldn't have," Chad joked.

Troy whacked Chad across the arm. "It's for Gabriella."

Chad turned serious - as he was capable of doing when the occasion called for it.

"Jewellery? You didn't even do jewellery for her birthday."

"I had a look around but didn't like anything I saw. Besides, I got some late birthday money from my grandma."

"What's the occasion?"

Troy shrugged. "Just coz. I'm just waiting for the right moment." He slipped the necklace back into the pouch, and back into his place in his drawer.

"That's rather... serious. Jewellery, just coz?"

"I guess. Yeah. It is."

"Do you love her?" Chad asked quietly.

Troy paused. "Love... is a big word."

"Well when you're as crazy about someone as you seem to be about Gab, then maybe a big word is the right word."

"I think... I think I WILL love her," Troy said quietly. "I don't think we're quite there yet. But... I hope it will get there."

The boys fell silent. Troy looked up to see his afro headed friend staring at him with awe. From fighting over the red Crayola... to contemplations of love.

"Okay. First to fifteen you said?" Troy said.

"You're on."

ZEZEZEZEZE

After walking Chad out the front door, Troy bound back into the house to head upstairs to shower and change before heading to Gabriella's. Every movement he made was high energy, if not running then perhaps hopping or even skipping for a few steps - although he made sure no one saw.

"Troy?" Jack called.

"Yeah dad?"

"You done any more of your resume yet?"

Troy groaned internally, walking into the living area where his father had called from. "Um, haven't really had the chance."

"Summer is just a few weeks away. You'd better get cracking if you want a summer job. You need to apply before the hordes do."

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"College isn't cheap. I mean, your mother and I will support you as much as we can, but it's never too early to be thinking about your future."

_'All I do is think about my future' _Troy wanted to say.

"Totally dad, I'm with you. Just been studying lots, and getting back into training. I'll ask Gabriella tonight if she wants to work on hers, then we can do them together."

"Oh, you're studying at Gabriella's again?"

"Yeah. Exam block next week and all. Taking advantage of my girlfriend being a genius. Actually, I'm kinda running late so I have to go get ready. But thanks for the reminder, I'll definitely get on top of that."

ZEZEZEZEZE

Troy fingered the little pouch in his pocket, gazing at Gabriella as she stared intently at her notes.

"Hey Gabi?"

"Mmm?" Gabriella said absent mindedly, her distraction evident.

"Break time yet?"

"Break time? We just had break time," Gabriella said."You need to concentrate. You're the one who said you wanted to get through all these questions. And work on our resumes."

Troy released the pouch in his hand.

"You're right. Guess I'm just distracted."

Gabriella barely heard him, being already intently focused on her notes once again.

The right time would come.

But for now, she was right. He needed to focus. Algebra exam in three days. Excellent.

ZEZEZEZEZ

Two exams down, three to go - followed by the ACTs. During exam block, students were only required to attend their exams with the rest of the week being left to their own devices. A group of Troy's crew wound up all in a computer lab one afternoon. They were meant to be studying, but having just come out of an exam, at least a little procrastination was in order to prevent brains from frying. Troy clicked onto his Facebook, raising his eyebrows.

"Doesn't it shit you when people you're not friends with add you?" he asked anyone who was listening out loud.

"Doesn't bother me. I add everyone," Chad declared.

Jason rolled his chair over, looking at the page. "You use FACEBOOK now? MySpace is way better."

"Nah man, it's all about Facebook now. You have to join, keep with the times."

"Who added you?" Gabriella asked.

"Jackson. You know, dickhead Roadrunner? Oh. There's a message from him also."

Troy clicked on the button.

"Yo Bolton, sup? A bit ironic me adding you, huh? Hows your hammie, all good now? Got a scholarship BU, so will be heading east next yr. Grew up out there so should be good. Oh, I wont be offended if you dont accept the friend invite.

-Jackson

PS - CU in the NBA."

Troy moved the mouse, clicking on friend requests, and hovered the mouse over deny. He then paused, and moved it over to confirm, pressing down firmly.

ZEZEZEZE

Troy was submersed in his physical education study notes that night. It was his only exam which he prepared for completely independently of assistance from Gabriella - and to his own surprise, he actually felt rather prepared. A knock came at his door, and his mother poked her head in.

"Mail came for you today," Lucille said, handing over an envelope.

Troy was surprised, and examined the envelope. It had an official University of New Mexico logo. He shrugged and tore it open.

"Oh, it's from Coach Lang. The official invite to the basketball training camp over summer. I'd forgotten all about that."

A piece of paper fluttered to the ground. "What's this?" Lucille asked, picking it up.

Troy examined it. "It's a handwritten note from Coach Lang... hi Troy, heard you're doing well... fantastic to hear... looking forward to seeing you at camp..." Troy read, scanning the note. It was the next sentence that caught his eye. "Planning on inviting some scouts to a demo match. I happen to be on a friendly basis with one of the scouts from the University of California so we should have some interstate guests also."

"That should be good for you," Lucille remarked.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah it is. Given that dad keeps talking about scholarships."

"A scholarship isn't the be all and end all though."

"But it helps. Right?"

Troy continued to scan the note. "PS, your friend Mr. Danforth will also receive one of these invites."

"Thank God for that," Troy said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Why is that so important?"

Troy shrugged. "It'll be cool to have Chad around. Just... someone familiar. All the way through the season with the Roadrunners, I was having all these problems with this Jackson kid. Difference of opinion, basically. I just kept thinking that if I kept my head down I could just play it my way. But now... I don't even know what my way is anymore. And if I don't know what my way is then... how do I get where I want to go?"

"Honey, you could spend the rest of your life trying to work out what your way is."

"Thanks mom, that's comforting."

"Just be true to yourself and follow your heart."

"Sounds like a bad greeting card."

Lucille smiled. "Mr Hallmark is a very smart man."

ZEZEZEZE

Two days later, Troy sauntered out of his Physical Education exam. Just Chemistry and English remained - plus the all important ACTs. He was actually really happy with how exams were going so far - a somewhat disconcerting notion. Often he found that when he came out of an exam actually thinking he went well, it was a sign that he went terribly. Jason, Zeke and Chad had all left the exam long before the time was up. Gabriella had drilled into him that he should remain for the entire exam time.

_"With short answer questions and essays, there is never too much work you can do. You can always write more."_

And so after completing the exam, he had diligently remained in the room, scouring over his test paper, adding a few bits and pieces to his answers and then adding a whole extra paragraph to his essay. All in all, he was feeling very confident. He had known every single answer, and in detail. As he exited the room and headed out the closest exit, he found the three guys along with Gabriella and Taylor sitting around under a tree.

"Yeah, take your fucking time Bolton," Chad called out.

Troy flexed his hands. "I have never written so much in my entire life."

He dropped down onto the grass beside Gabriella, dropping a gentle kiss and then lying down and leaning against her thigh.

"How many pages did you write for the essay?" Zeke asked.

"Like twelve. My hand is killing me."

Gabriella picked up his right hand, gently kissing the back of it.

"Better?"

"Maybe a few more times and it will be."

The other three boys were exchanging bewildered glances. "Were those twelve pages triple spaced with giant margins by any chance?" Jason asked.

"No."

"Another fail for me then," Jason sighed.

"You'll get an A in prac though," Troy pointed out.

"Why do they even make us do theory. Who needs to know about the human body?" Chad grumbled.

"How was calc?" Troy addressed the girls.

"Draining," Gabriella said. "But good."

"Tay?"

Taylor shrugged. "I think okay. We seem to have answered on the same path."

Gabriella's cell phone rang. "Hey... we're outside, near the quad... not sure, just hanging for a bit I think... lunch, maybe, I guess... yeah I think that's the plan... come on over."

"It was Kelsi, she's coming to meet us."

"Why is Kelsi here?" Jason asked.

"Handing in her final assessment piece for music. She's going to join my chemistry study group."

Chad raised his eyebrows. "Study group? You make it sound so formal."

Gabriella smiled brightly. "I have practice questions prepared and everything."

The people taking Chemistry 1 - being everyone but Taylor and Martha - glanced at each other, looking somewhat trepitatious. Kelsi arrived shortly, flopping down onto the grass.

"I'm so hungry guys, we should get lunch," she said.

"Lunch? There is no time for lunch. Okay, Chemistry 1 people, follow me," Gabriella announced, slinging her bag over her shoulder and holding the textbook in the air.

Troy was quick to grab the textbook, confiscating it. "Gabi babe, we are requesting a one hour break. Our brains are hurting. And we're hungry."

"Give me my book back," Gabriella whined.

Troy held the book high above his head, out of her reach.

"Come get it," he teased, and ran across the quad in the opposite direction. Gabriella squealed and chased after him, dropping her bag along the way.

"This is so unfair, you are an athlete and I am just a math geek."

Troy paused, faking a right turn and then going left. Gabriella anticipated this - well aware of her boyfriend's signature move - and managed to jump onto his back in an attempt to grab the book. Troy tossed her book onto the ground, grabbing her legs and piggybacking her around the quad, leading her away from where he had tossed the book.

Gabriella laughed as he set her down. Somehow in the process she tripped and fell onto the grass in a fit of giggles. Troy dropped to his knees.

"This will teach you to try to teach me chemistry on an empty stomach," Troy said, flopping down beside her.

"Okay, okay," Gabriella relented. "I suppose I will let you have a break."

"Good, because I'm not moving from right here in the sun. I feel the sudden urge to work on my tan."

Gabriella let out a contented sigh. "The sun IS nice."

"And this is just a prelude. 2 weeks from now, and it'll be you and me and our friends and the sun. No more of this chemistry bull shit in the way."

"But first, we have to be tested on what you call this 'chemistry bull shit', followed by your English exam, and then we can't forget the ACTs."

"Sshhh," Troy hushed her. "Just enjoy the sun."

"OI! Are you two done frolicking?" Chad shouted from the opposite side of the quad.

"Why?" Troy called back.

"We're gonna go get food up the road. Then coming back to study."

In perfect timing, Gabriella's stomach grumbled. Troy reached over and patted her stomach gently. "Food it is then."

He pulled himself up and then held out his hand to help Gabriella up. The couple meandered back over to their group of friends, collecting the discarded chemistry textbook along the way.

"I have a good feeling about this summer," Chad declared.

Flanked by his friends; with one arm holding a basketball and the other arm slung over his girlfriends shoulders; Troy smiled to himself.

"Yeah. Me too."

**THE FREAKING END**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Play It My Way is about Troy's journey of self discovery. The journey of self discovery isn't one which has a beginning, a middle and an end. Troy's journey **as we know it** begins New Years Eve of his junior year of high school. However, I assure you it would have began long before that. In the world of HSM fan fiction as created by Pandora147; this journey begins before we ever see our beautiful Zac on the screen. It continues through HSM1. And then it continues throughout Here With You, and simply **intensifies** throughout PIMW. PIMW is only **one** portion of this journey. Troy continues upon this journey throughout HSM2. And it isn't **CONCLUDED** at the talent show. It isn't like Troy can sing a boy band pop song on the golf course, quit his golf job, start being a dish washer again, sing a song with Gabriella and dance about in a circle and then Bob's your uncle things are perfect again.

The journey continues beyond HSM2. It continues throughout life. Sorry to tell you but angst and self discovery are not exclusive to your teenage years. They continue throughout life. Just as you begin to think that you've found some control in your life, a place where you feel as though you've found purpose and centre – I guarantee you something else will happen to force you to re-examine your life, your morals, your actions.

For me, the combination of Play It My Way and then the canon of High School Musical 2 explores Troy trying to find a balance between all of these different elements in his life. Trying to find that place where he is able to work towards achieving his dreams, without compromising his life in the present. His friends, his life as a Wildcat, his involvement with the musical – it all forms a part of who Troy is as a person. He's still trying to work out who he is and whats important to him.

For this reason, the resolution of this journey isn't really found in Play It My Way. I mean... it is to the point that I could conclude the story with a sense of finality and looking towards the future with a positive vibe... but then you know what happens in HSM2 so obviously the resolution which Troy finds in PIMW isn't necessarily one which is going to work in the long term. I had to take him to that place where he was thinking about all of these bigger issues; and then bring him back down to a place where he would be all focused upon Gabriella and summer and basketball. But still have the remnants of the semester behind him, which then facilitate his actions throughout HSM2; and provide context to the reactions from his friends. This is why the ending chapters of the story, on the whole, became relatively "fluffy." Because I had to bring them to the "What time is it, summer time!" place within their lives. But because he wasn't able to play out his full season with the Roadrunners, because he has pressure from his dad, because he is being singled out by the state coach - suddenly, the notion of working on Mr Evans to get the guaranteed U of A scholarship is rather appealing. And because Troy thought his friends would get that given the year gone by, he didn't see anything wrong with blowing off a baseball game. But to them, because he'd already been through all this and put himself through hell and been miserable the whole time - they didn't understand why he would take this path again. To Gabriella, he'd been so filled with promises for the summer that was ahead, that when those promises weren't fulfilled, it was about more than just missing a baseball game and being late for a date. It was about all that Troy had promised, it represented their trust.

And I got all that from a G rated Disney movie.

I have been so amazingly touched by some of the responses I've gotten for this story. Some of you really seemed to **GET** where I was coming from; which is such a relief because my brain operates on this really crazy level. When you find yourself contemplating deep thoughts about a G rated Disney movie, it's easy to doubt whether you are completely bonkers. Like I said in Here With You, I'm not going to thank particular people. You know who you are. I am so grateful to you guys, you inspire me to write. Seriously you do. In the past 3 months I've been to the United States, the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Britain. And every single step of the way I've brought Troy and Gabriella with me because you guys make me believe that the work I put into this story is worthwhile.

Now. What's to come? We have the deleted scenes I will post. One is literally a drabble. Another one is literally a whole deleted chapter - the national decathlon final. And then I will post separately my Chaylor one shot which is actually really important for anyone wanting to tackle the sequel.

Ah. Yes. The sequel. It's suddenly very real. I've gone crazy over the last few weeks and I can pretty much guarantee you that it will make an appearance... let's say within the next month. The lovely Ayen (aka ZVKG-ai) who some of you will be familar with from the Zaangels site (shameless plug - GO THERE! These girls run a fabulous site dedicated to our fave real life couple) has been slaving away reading my chapters - I sent about twelve in a 48 hour period. Haha. There is actually a chapter towards the beginning kinda wraps up all of this Troy angst because it isn't an angle that I want to continue in detail throughout the mammoth saga that I believe _Someday_ is going to be.

Yes. You head me. Post HSM2 story. Sequel. Problem - Dani writes semi in line with canon, doesn't she? Problem - I'm overseas and in all reality, I may very well be halfway through Someday when HSM3 comes out. But my muse is just ticking like crazy. I've got scribbles of the sequel to Someday (tentatively titled Broken) and the sequel to Broken (Serendipity) all over the place. By the time I get it all done, for all I know this fandom will have died.

Within the next few weeks, I'll come to a tentative decision about how much longer I am to continue travelling. I could be home any time between June and February. If earlier, I could probably commit to finishing Someday prior to HSM3. If later, I imagine the movie will come out while I'm still writing my own version of senior year. Regardless though, I still want to write it and I guess I can just hope that regardless of what plot line the movie delivers, that you guys will still support me with my crazy massive endeavour; even though the movie will obviously make my senior year story void.

I might put a preview of Someday up after I put all the deleted scenes and stuff up. We'll see :-)

So hit that author alert if you're interested in ANY of this stuff...

FINALLY...

I would like to thank **emptrajan** so so so so so so so so so so so so much that there are no words which will ever allow me to express just how grateful I am to him. This guy is a **genius**. Seriously. He sees the depth within the fluff. I send him a chapter and from that he deduces all sorts of hidden meanings and plot lines which I wasn't even totally sure if I was trying to deliver. He makes these amazingly astute observations and recommendations which are all so subtle that I'm sure a lot of you wouldn't really get a lot of the tiny changes that are made and how much better they have made this story. But I get it and props to this guy for a life time and eternity and beyond.

Signing out of the official story (with the unofficial bits still to be posted)...

With much love and gratitude to all,

Pandora 147 (Dani) xoxoxo


	20. Unpolished Deleted Scene 2

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**The Deleted Scenes - What You Didn't See The First Time**

**Working Title - Permission to Shine**

**The context: ****Okay... this one is actually more of a drabble than a deleted scene. In the back end of writing the story, I was given feedback from my beta reader that I could perhaps work on my characterisation of Gabriella; that I had Troy down realy well but that Gabriella develops a lot between the two films and I hadn't explored that. ****I had this flash of inspiration to write a Gabriella centric chapter from the Gabriella POV (like the Jackson chapter) for her birthday. However I eventually decided that given that I was wrapping up the story in just a couple of chapters, it was a bit late in the piece and that I needed to maintain the focus on Troy but make it about his perception of Gabriella. In the brief period that I was going to write it as being Gabriella centric, I jotted down some notes... and here they are. Basically, in the original, we see Gabriella and Troy studying at Gabriella's and then he leaves. This here begins with when Troy leaves; and then there are a couple of random bits and pieces that would have fallen after that around the general plot that I never actually wrote from the Gabriella POV haha.  
**

**This one is really random and disjointed but hopefully you can use your imagination and see where I was going and draw some kind of appreciation...**

**VHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVH**

Gabriella watched as he walked down the driveway, looking back at her every few seconds with a silly grin on his face. She blew him one last kiss as he rounded the corner and headed up the street. She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her and leaning back against the doorframe for a moment, sighing dreamily. She then wandered into the lounge room where her mother was watching the evening news. Gabriella plopped onto the couch next to her mother, tucking her legs beneath her.

"Get lots of study done?" Elena asked teasingly.

Gabriella rolled her eyes at the inference her mother was making. "Yes actually. For your information we do actually study."

"I'm just teasing Gabi."

Gabriella smiled. Elena watched her daughter for a moment. She was so happy she was practically glowing.

"It makes me happy to see you happy," Elena said, tucking a strand of hair behind her daughters ear.

"Do you think it's fickle that just by having a boyfriend, I've become so much happier?" Gabriella mused.

"I don't doubt that Troy forms a part of your happiness. But I think that there's a lot more to defining it than just a boy."

"You think?"

"I think your whole approach to life has changed this year. It's like you gave yourself permission to shine. To enjoy life, to be happy, to trust other people - and not just Troy, but Taylor, and all the other friends you've made."

"I don't really have other friends. They're Troy's friends, and Taylor and I just kinda... adopted them."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "Wasn't it just two nights ago when one of the boys - is it Jason? - called here, just to have a chat? No other reason?"

"Umm... yes."

"And haven't you been socialising with Chad outside of school?"

"Well yes, but always with Taylor and Troy."

"And what about Martha; you and her and Taylor seem to have a fantastic time together?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose so."

"And Kelsi? Isn't she going to teach you how to play piano over summer?"

"Well that's the plan but..."

"No buts Gabi. You know that you have made friends here."

"It's all linked to Troy though," Gabriella pointed out. "Without Troy... none of it would have happened. Without Troy... what's left?"

"Gabriella is left. Gabriella who every day is becoming even more of a strong, capable, amazing young woman who I am so incredibly proud of."

Gabriella hesitated, but then spoke. "Sometimes... I can feel that I'm growing. But sometimes, it just seems impossible. I don't understand the link, I don't know what happened to cause such growth."

"Growth just happens sweethearts. It's a part of growing up."

"Yes but I'm a person of logic. It's like I need to understand it in order to believe it."

Elena sighed contemplatively. "When you become close to someone and develop a bond, a trust... you are able to see yourself through their eyes. I think that coming close to Troy and Taylor has maybe brought about some belief in who you are. It's enabled you to take that and to grow from it."

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

Gabriella spent a lot of time pondering this conversation with her mother. It was an issue which had been somewhat bothering her for a while. She was truly grateful for the group of people she had fallen into, but she couldn't help but feel as though she and Troy came as a package, and that if something were to end the relationship (God forbid) that Troy would be left surrounded by his friends and she would be left with very little.

She had made a very genuine effort over the last few couple to develop friendships on an individual level with Troy's people; in particular with the three boys he spent such a great deal of time with. The trip to Arizona had been highly beneficial to this cause, providing bonding time without Troy's presence. Additionally the planning of his surprise party had left her and Chad spending a great deal of time just the two of them, making plans and delegating various tasks.

ZEZEZEZEZEZEZE

**Birthday** – _noun_

1. the anniversary of a birth.

2. the day of a person's birth.

3. a day marking or commemorating the origin, founding, or beginning of something.

4. the festivities or celebration marking such a day or anniversary.

_Origin: 1350–1400; ME; see birth, day_

When Gabriella was a little girl, birthdays had been a special event, steeped in Montez family tradition. Ritualistic waffles with maple syrup;

Since the passing of her father, Gabriella ha never looked forward to her birthday. She didn't loathe them. It wasn't that it was a day representing painful memories.

But it was just another day of the year.

Elena Montez therefore could not have been more surprised when her daughter arrived home from a decathlon meeting and announced that she wanted to do something for her birthday.

"Do something? Like what?" Elena asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe have a group of people over for dinner, then we could watch some movies?"

"How many people is a group of people?" Elena asked warily.

"Umm... well... Troy, Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Zeke, Martha, Jason... oh... and I guess Paula... and Jenna... oh and Jeremy..."

Elena held her hand up. "I am more than happy for you to have some friends over, that sounds like a lovely idea. But I think I have to draw the line at about 8 people."

Gabriella smiled broadly. "Really? It's really okay?"

Elena nodded. Gabriella gave her mom a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

VHVHVHVHVVHVVHVH

For the first time in a long time, Gabriella was excited about the prospect of a birthday. It was a day to celebrate the good things in life. She was surrounded by goodness, in the best place of her life.

Befriending Troy had brought her a set of close friends, it had brought her to a place where she was surrounded by a diverse and yet equally amazing group of individuals, who never ceased to inspire and entertain her.

New Years Eve had been about meeting a boy.

But more importantly, it had been about Gabriella developing a confidence, a happiness in who she was as a person. To embrace not only the freaky math girl within; but also the musical theatre actress; the girly girl who gossips about boys and fashion; the fun loving girl who loves to spend time with her friends.

VHVHVHVHVHVHVHVH

**Author's note - Erm yeah like I said in contrast to the first one I put up, this one is definitely a lot more disjointed. Nevertheless, what do you think? **

**Also umm... just about the final chapter. I feel a bit silly saying this but what the hell. I was slightly underwhelmed by the response. Thank you to everyone who did review, my love goes out to you all and I have full intent of replying to each of the reviews individually. Things are just a bit crazy at the moment, backpacking and all. Anyway... but yes, there are lots of people who have this story in their alerts or favourites and I guess I thought I'd have a few more come out in the end and share their thoughts. I know it wasn't exactly high drama but it was important for wrapping things up. Was there anyone who just didn't like it or was unhappy and therefore didn't review because they associate review as being a positive thing? I always welcome constructive criticism, in fact I encourage it. **

**Erm yes... so... review? Would it help if I bribed or put up a poll or some sort of prize for being the x numereth reviewer? I should do a 'give me 50 reviews and I will post the sequel within the next two weeks.' - That did NOT count. I was not being serious there. Although reviews do equal motivation to write which equal efficient posting. Get me off my soapbox... I'll shut up now. **


	21. Unpolished Deleted Scene 3

**PLAY IT MY WAY**

**What you didn't see the first time - The Deleted Scenes**

**THE NATIONAL DECATHLON FINAL**

**Author's note - **A reminder of the nature of these scenes. Unpolished. Unfinished. Disjointed. Okies?

**The context - **This could have been a whole chapter or even two on its own, if I'd written it in greater detail. Basically, it covers the national decathlon final. I first conceptualised it when writing HWY; it evolved as I wrote PIMW. However eventually I decided to cut it; just because for the flow of the story, it made little sense. I felt like the story was wrapping up. Additionally, given the Troy centric nature of PIMW, it made little sense to have this being a part of the final few chapters when for me it's more important to the three other main characters. The **first part** of this would have sat **in the middle of chapter 1**6, like after Gabriella's movie night party. And then **the rest would have followed after what became the end of chapter 16**, so after Troy goes over at midnight to give his presents. But yeah... without explaining my complicated brain, I felt like it just wouldn't have worked. There's another authors note at the end... please read because I really want your opinion about something :-)

...

It was the day after Gabriella's birthday party. Troy was sitting at his desk, poring over notes for his geography assignment. It was his final report due for the year - and then after that, only exams remained. He was beginning to develop a headache, and was contemplating taking a break. He nearly went to call Gabriella - then remembered that the decathlon team were meeting all day again. Just five days remained until they would fly out to Los Angeles for the national final. In a strike of good timing, his cell phone rang, providing a welcome distraction. He glanced at the screen, seeing that it was Chad.

"Sup man," Troy said.

"Dude, I just had a brainwave."

"You?"

"Shut up. Can I come over?"

"Yeah I s'pose. I'm studying though..."

"You'll stop studying for this. Be there in five."

Troy shook his head, mystified, but nonetheless turned back to his report, telling himself that once Chad arrived goodness knows how long it would be until he would get to work on it again. Right on time, there was a knock at his door and in came Chad, skateboard tucked under his arm.

"What are you doing next weekend?" Chad asked.

Troy thought. "There's a practice golf round Saturday morning... then I was going to call Gabriella in LA on Saturday night so that could take a while... and..."

Chad held his hand up. "What are you doing next weekend?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Gee Chad, you tell me."

"You and me are going to Los Angeles," Chad announced.

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

"I decided that I wanted to go to this decathlon thing, surprise Taylor and Gabriella. Talked to my mom, since she's a travel agent she said she could hook us up with some good deals."

"Your mom AGREED to this?"

"There were conditions. A whole list of them. Including your parents agreeing and us talking to Gab's mom and acquiring her as an official chaperone."

"Dude, I think you've snapped your cap. We can't just GO to LA for a weekend!" Troy spluttered. "It's... it's ridiculous. We have an exam on Wednesday and..."

Chad held up a sheet of paper. Printed at the top was. "Reasons why we CAN go to LA."

"I was prepared for this. I knew you would protest. A year ago you might not have. But I guess a year ago you and I wouldn't have had a reason to go to a decathlon competition in LA. It won't be that expensive, these deals my mom have found are AWESOME. And... it's for educational reasons is the selling point. We fly out Thursday night on the late night flight, back Sunday night..."

"You think my mom is going to agree to me missing a day of school to go to LA?" Troy said dumbfoundedly.

"These are merely OBSTACLES to overcome. The important question for now is - do you want to come?"

"Well... of course I want to be there for Gabi. And Tay. They've both supported me a lot lately. But... the exam... and..."

Chad flipped over the sheet of paper, gesturing towards a timetable he had written up. "I stole Taylor's itinerary of events for the weekend. If the mom's all agree, we would actually wind up with all of Friday day free because the ideal time to surprise the girls would be at this networking opening night thing on Friday night. We rock up, looking suave. They'll go nuts. But yeah, we'll actually have a bit of free time. Like here, on Saturday, there is a written test time so not really ideal for audience watching. Then a two hour break. There's four hours where we can grab lunch and study for a bit. And..."

"I can't believe YOU have scheduled in STUDY time," Troy smirked.

"Because I wanna go and I knew I'd have to convince you with this stupid test just a few days after."

"Why DO you want to go?" Troy asked suddenly. "I mean... wanting to go when the decathlon is up the road in Santa Fe or Rio Rancho is one thing. But... this is a different matter altogether."

"I told you. Support the girls. Especially Taylor. We were talking about the decathlon last night and she told me that her mom isn't able to get time off work to come watch. All the rest of the team have family flying out there, except for Taylor. She was a bit upset about it - but of course being her Taylor self was pretending she was cool with it."

A smile was toying on Troy's face as Chad spoke about Taylor. "Oh my God. You like her," Troy said slowly.

Chad stared at him. "Huh?"

"I mean, I knew you had the HOTS for her - hence all the random making out and other shit that went on at my birthday. Which by the way, we still haven't really talked about. But... you actually really like her. You had this conversation with her yesterday and between now and then you've organised all this?" Troy said, gesturing to the paperwork.

Chad narrowed his eyes. "Are you in or not?" he asked, avoiding Troy's comment.

Troy's smile was a mile wide. "Chad has a cru-ush," he said in a sing song voice.

"Grow up Bolton. Are you in?"

Troy thought for a moment. Despite his initial hesitation, the idea had grown on him. He'd contemplated it for a while, in a hypothetical sense. It had just seemed like such a ludicrous idea that he hadn't really taken it seriously. But Chad had somehow made it seem like a feasible plan.

...

Troy and Chad went downstairs, cornering his parents in the living room.

"Mom, you look really nice today. Did you get a haircut?" Troy began.

Lucille sighed. "Cut the crap Troy. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" he spluttered. "I can't believe you just automatically assume the worst of me."

"Okay then. What do you want?"

Troy couldn't call her on that one.

"There is this fantastic educational opportunity next weekend," he began. "I have the opportunity to watch the smartest students in the nation participate in the national decathlon final."

Lucille raised her eyebrows. "The competition Gabriella is in?"

"Yes. That's the one. There is a slight cost which if you agree to I would love to be able to borrow - not have, borrow I note - the money to fund. And... and I might have to miss a day of school. And..."

Chad exhaled. "It's in Los Angeles, Mrs B. Troy and I want to fly to LA next weekend."

Lucille laughed. "Good one boys."

They were silent. Lucille studied them. "You're both very serious, aren't you?" she said slowly.

They nodded.

"It's not like we want to go there to surf," Troy said. "It's very genuinely to watch the decathlon final. It runs all day Saturday and Sunday. Mrs Danforth found these cheap flights and everything. That's where the missing school comes in - the cheap flight is on Thursday night, and then coming back on Sunday night. So just one day of school missed."

"And golf on Saturday," Jack commented.

Troy shook his head. "There is no official round. Just a friendly practice match."

"Your mother agreed to this?" Lucille asked Chad incredulously.

"With rules. Like you agreeing. And her talking to you. And... and Gabriella's mom agreeing to chaperone."

Lucille exhaled. "Well I would require that as well but I don't like to ask people such favours. It would be different if she'd asked if you wanted to come with her..."

"What if... what if you asked her?" Troy asked hopefully. "Like... said that Chad and I were talking about it but didn't want to impose... it might sound better coming from you."

Lucille shook her head. "I will want to talk to her AFTER you discuss it with her. But it's on the two of you."

"Miss Montez LOVES you Troy, what are you talking about?" Chad said.

"She does not," Troy said.

"She let you drive her car last night, didn't she?"

Troy sighed.

Meanwhile, Lucille and Jack were communicating telepathically.

"You get Elena to agree and research all of the costs and we will see whether this is something we will be inclined to agree to," Jack finally said.

Troy and Chad looked at each other. "How do I talk to Miss Montez without Gabriella maybe answering the phone," Troy mused.

"I'll call her cell and ask her for help with algebra and meanwhile you call the landline while Gabriella won't answer."

Troy nodded. "Okay. That's a plan."

Troy picked up the house phone and dialled Gabriella's home number. As per the plan, Elena Montez answered.

"Hi Miss Montez, this is Troy calling and before you say anything don't say my name out loud," Troy said in a rush. "Because I'm calling for you and not Gabriella and I don't want her to know that I'm talking to you."

"Well Gabriella is upstairs talking on her cell phone so we're safe for now," Elena said, amused, and curious as to what was going on.

"Yeah I planned that. Chad called her. It's a distraction."

"Well then, what's all the secrecy about?"

"I am calling because I have a rather enormous favour to ask of you. Something which I actually feel a little rude asking and you can say no and it's fine. Because you might feel obliged to agree when it's actually a massive inconvenience."

"Why don't you proposition me and then we'll see what I have to say about it."

Troy took a breath. "Chad and I want to go to LA next weekend. You know, for the decathlon final. Both Gabriella and also Taylor have been really supportive of me with my basketball this semester. And Chad really wants to go to support Taylor, she doesn't have any family going and has been feeling a bit upset about that. We talked to our parents and we've found cheap flights and everything. But the general consensus is that they want some type of adult supervision but none of them are available to come to LA with us and... and that's where you come in."

Elena took a breath.

"You weren't joking about the massive favour, were you?"

"Like I said... we don't want to be an imposition. We don't want to go hooning around LA or anything. We just want to fly there and maybe stay in a room at whatever hotel you are staying at and go watch the decathlon. That's all. We actually have an exam next week so any spare time will likely be spent studying."

"I see."

"I shouldn't have asked, should I?" Troy said, fearing the worst. "You're never going to let me see Gabriella again, are you? Because I'm rude for asking and..."

Elena chuckled. "That's a bit extreme, Troy. Uh... is your mother there by any chance? I might just have a word with her."

"Sure. I'll just get her."

Troy went into the kitchen where his parents had disappeared to, leaving Troy to talk to Elena in privacy. "She wants to talk to you," Troy reported.

Lucille nodded, and took the phone.

"Hi Elena... I assure you, absolutely their idea... yes, you have to give them that... they seem quite genuine about it... Chad's a good kid, known him since Troy was in preschool... yes... we would have to discuss that..."

Troy was hanging onto every word of his mother's half of the conversation.

Chad poked his head into the room, cell phone at his ear. Troy shook his head wildly, gesturing frantically to his mother on the phone. Chad nodded in understanding.

"Well, now that you've explained that to me, we can get to talking about more interesting things. Tell me how things are going with you and Bolton?"

Suddenly there was a more interesting conversation to follow than his mothers. Troy followed Chad into the living room to police the conversation.

"Oh come on, nothing? You're not gonna give me anything? I could just go to Taylor to get the gossip... you want me to ask Bolton? See but, I want to know YOUR side of it."

PIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMW

Gabriella had participated in the scholastic decathlon competition throughout high school. She'd been a part of the general 'academic' crowd at five schools prior to East High. There were teams from 3 of her previous schools who had made the national final, including her team who had won the previous year. This somewhat comforted Gabriella. She didn't like being labelled as the reason for a teams success - after all, it was a TEAM competition and there is no I in team.

She hadn't kept in close contact with people from her previous schools. There were a handful on her MySpace - and a smaller handful on her Facebook which she had recently converted to. And yet strangely, Gabriella felt incredibly excited to see familar faces.

She'd just introduced Taylor and Jeremy to Sandra and Warwick from her San Diego team.

"I'm really hoping to get into Yale, but I havne't heard back yet. I'm getting kind of worried," Jeremy confessed to the other two. Sandra had just revealed that she had received her acceptance letter from Harvard. Warwick was waiting hopefully on his.

Gabriella meanwhile was scanning the room in search of Martha, who she also wanted to introduce to some people. However it wasn't Martha she spotted.

Her squeal was close to the range that only dogs can hear. Her high heels and skirt did not serve as a means of slowing her down from beelining towards him. She nearly ran into several people along the way, but she couldn't care less.

Troy was right there, standing in the room - and as far as Gabriella was concerned, there was far too much space between them for her liking. And it was a situation that had to be rectified immediately.

She almost knocked him over in the process of running up to him. Troy's warm arms wrapped around her, engulfing her in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground slightly.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, are you real?" Gabriella's muffled voice said, her head burrowed into his shoulder.

Troy set her down, pressing his lips to hers softly.

"Real, live and in the flesh," he declared.

"I'm not dreaming."

"Not dreaming," he confirmed.

A series of quick, short kisses were exchanged. "How? Why? Wait no I don't care."

She kissed him again, this time deepening and prolonging the kiss.

PIMWPIMWPIMWPIMWPIMW

"Ella!" A voice called across the room.

Gabriella spun around, and immediately shrieked and ran in the direction of the voice.

"Gerry!!" she called, running over to him.

The two embraced in a tight hug.

"What the fuck?" Troy said, narrowing his eyes.

The two were engaged in animated conversation for a couple of minutes before Gabriella dragged this 'Gerry' over.

"Guys, this is Gerald. He would have been in my team in San Francisco, but then we moved..."

"And we lost our star," Gerald lamented. "Could have had the famous girl who lead the San Diego team to victory. Damn your mothers company."

"Gerry, this is Taylor, our team captain. And this is Chad and Troy who…. Are not in the team but just totally randomly showed up to support us. They'd just appeared and then you appeared and oh my God it's like everyone is trying to give me a heart attack!"

Gerry laughed. "Calm down Ella."

Troy looked at Chad, mouthing, "Ella?"

"So where are you all from anyway? All I knew from you missy was that you went to Colorado for winter break and never came back!"

Gabriella shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. I kept meaning to call but… things have been just so crazy. I'm living in Albuquerque."

"New Mexico?" Gerald asked, raising an eyebrow. "Harsh."

"It has its perks," Gabriella said elusively. She then turned to Troy, exclaiming, "I can't believe you're here!" Gabriella said, spontaneously giving Troy a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you guys going out or something?" Gerald asked.

"Yes," Troy said firmly.

"Yes, Troy is my boyfriend," Gabriella said.

"Right. I see."

The moment of discomfort between Gabriella and Gerald was not lost on Taylor, Chad and was most definitely not lost on Troy.

Gerald cleared his throat. "Anyway, I should keep doing the rounds. You know the Harvard scouts are here don't you?"

Gabriella nodded. "You forget I don't graduate til next year."

"Ah, it's never too early to schmooze. Anyway. We'll catch up later, yeah? Nice meeting you all."

Taylor and Troy didn't say anything, although Troy wanted to bombard her with a few million questions such as "who the fuck was HE?". Chad, on the other hand, didn't know the meaning of tact.

"What the fuck was that all about?" he exclaimed. "Talk about TENSION at the mention of Troy boy here."

Gabriella shrugged. "Uh… it's complicated. But also NOT a big deal."

"Well then un-complicate it," Troy said quietly.

"We were friends. Close friends, but friends. Full stop," Gabriella said with emphasis. "But he liked me more and he asked me out a few times. I said I wasn't looking for a relationship. End of story."

"He's cute, why wouldn't you want to go out with him?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella sighed. "We have the national final of the decathlon over the next two days and we're here rehashing a part of my past that is so not important WHY?"

"Because Troy is going to be weird until he knows, and because you're going to be weird as long as you know that he's feeling weird," Taylor said bluntly.

"I don't feel weird!" Troy insisted, although it was clearly a lie.

"I don't believe in just dating people randomly. Yes Gerry was a lovely guy and he was one of my closest friends, probably my only real friend. But I didn't feel that way about him," Gabriella said honestly.

"He still likes you," Troy said.

"So what?" Gabriella asked. "Every other girl at East High is fawning over you, you don't see me going crazy with jealousy."

"Dude, she makes a good point," Chad said.

Troy glared at his friends. "Thanks man."

PIMWPIMWPIMWPIMW

The decathlon team was flying back on the flight before that of Elena, Chad and Troy; however they all headed to the airport together in the car Elena had rented. Like mother like daughter, Elena was highly punctual, ensuring the girls arrived a whole half hour before the rest of their team arrived to check in. Troy and Gabriella disappeared - claiming a sudden need to examine overpriced airport merchandise.

"I'm so proud of you," Troy said, kissing Gabriella softly on the forehead as they walked along arm in arm.

"You've said that like a million times," Gabriella said, blushing.

"And I'll say it a million times more. You were such a star out there, it mesmerises me."

"Math problems mesmerise you? Wow we so have been dating for too long."

"You mesmerise me, not the math itself."

"We didn't even win," Gabriella said softly. "Second place, remember?"

Troy examined her. "Does that upset you?"

She bit her lip. "I feel responsible. It's like they put all this pressure on me, the idea that I could come along and make it happen."

"You're the one who keeps saying that it's a team competition," Troy reminded her.

He led her over to the seating area at an empty gate presently not being used for boarding, sitting in the back corner.

"Yeah. And it is. We couldn't have done anything more, none of us. But still... I know their hopes were raised so high."

"Gabi, you do remember that they'd never even made it past the first round? I know that Taylor is the captain but everyone knows that you were the one who gave them the ability to make it as far as they did."

"It really doesn't bother me. I think it bothers me more that I know how upset Taylor is. She's pretending that it's fine but... obviously she really wanted it. And she won't talk to me about it."

Gabriella glanced at him. "Have I thanked you yet for coming?"

"Only like a million times more than I've said that I am proud of you."

"I had fleeting thoughts that I wanted you to be here but I never actually anticipated that you'd really come."

"Like I told you it was Chad's motivational kick up the bum."

"He so likes her for real, doesn't he? I thought it was just a weird crush thing..."

"A man can never betray his friends but... you're a bright girl Gabriella."

She smiled. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you... are you okay with that whole Gerald thing?"

"It's weird, it's like I forget that you had this whole life before me. I mean… you know so much about my life before you, because it's all been in the one place with the same people. And even though I hear bits and pieces about your old schools… it's weird to think that before me there were other people…. Other guys…"

"Troy I've told you that I didn't have a boyfriend before you, ever."

"Yeah but guys would have been interested. Even if it never eventuated, even if you never knew anything about it. You said you were in some mathlete team in freshman year? I bet there was a boy in your team then who thought you were the prettiest thing he'd ever seen and he would have just been too scared to ask you out."

Gabriella blushed. "Troy…"

"And it's okay. I know I kinda weirded out on Friday but... in answer to your question, I'm really okay."

...

**Author's note - When I was working on HWY, I knew from the beginning how the decathlon was going to go. In fact I even know more detail of my pretend version of the competition itself and how they went about achieving second place. Never got around to writing it and I am so crazily excited about the sequel that I cant be bothered to haha. In my brain, when I'm writing Someday, I am certain that the result will remain the same. HOWEVER I'm not actually certain about the general premise of Troy and Chad rocking up. It just... I don't know, it makes sense in a cute fluffy way but on a deeper analytical level of looking at our characters and what they would do and realistically what their PARENTS would allow them to do - I'm not sure if it makes sense. I actually use the decathlon within the Chaylor one shot I'm writing... so if you guys read that, the decathlon happened as it happens here.**

**What I would like to know is your opinion of whether Troy and Chad going to the decathlon is realistic? It's not a majorly important thing, but when I'm working on Someday, I haven't yet decided whether any references I make back will encompass them attending. Like... for example... Gabriella might say jokingly 'you don't even care about me' and Troy might say 'HEY! I flew to LA last year for you, didn't I?' That kind of reference back is what I mean. Anyway... What do you think? About the chapter in general and about my query about whether its realistic?**

**Oh yes... one more thing... do you want an excerpt or preview of _Someday _posted here... here's some blatant bribery. I'll only post one if I get lotsa requests for one. :-P**


	22. Someday Preview

**SOMEDAY**

**SUMMARY:** Relationships & friendships flourish & falter amidst the pressures & challenges of life. A hopefully original take of senior year. All characters; TxG CxT

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not claim to be responsible for the creation of this brilliant set of characters. I just play with them. And make them act out my kinky fantasies.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Okay as promised... here is a bit of a retarded preview... I was going to write it a bit more effectively like a book jacket but copped out and just copied some sentences from what I've already written/planned to write. Haha.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

**A PREVIEW...**

_... ... ... ... ... ..._

**Summer is drawing to an end, and our favourite Wildcat crew are facing the prospect of beginnig their senior year of high school.**

_"We are seniors. The home stretch is here. In nine months we'll be graduating. At school assemblies we get to sit at the back. We can go OFF CAMPUS for lunch. We have a half day on Thursdays," Chad said. _

_... ... ... ... ... ... _

**The life of a seventeen year old is dramatic enough, dealing with siblings, friends, relationships and parents.**

_... ... ... _

"_I don't think I could physically get through this year without you with me," Troy responded softly. He leaned over and pressed his lips softly to hers. "I wish I could change everything that happened over summer but I can't."_

"_We can just learn from it," Gabriella said quietly. "And... I think it all turned out for the best. Because now I know just how much I need you." _

_... ... ... _

"_Hey Tay?" Chad asked softly._

"_Yeah?"_

"_You know how you told me that you didn't want me to act like Troy? And that you wanted me to act like Chad?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Would you find it inappropriate if, as Chad, I wanted to kiss you right now?" _

_... ... ... _

"_I'm so glad we started hanging out," Gabriella commented to Ryan. "It seems so silly that we hardly talked last year."_

"_I don't know if Troy would agree," Ryan remarked._

_Gabriella made a face. "Ry, if I can tolerate the girls at school fawning all over him; and if I can tolerate him being really close friends with people like Paula – then I think he should be fine with you and I being friends."_

_... ... ... _

_"I miss this. You and me. Rehearsing together. Hanging together. I don't think we've sat in the same room alone for longer than five minutes in... in over a month," Ryan said._

_"Well YOU'RE the one who is never around," Sharpay said haughtily._

_"Sharpay, it's nothing personal against you," Ryan said, trying to reason with her._

_"Well if feels personal, okay?"_

_... ... ... ... ... ... _

**While coping with the stresses of their personal lives, there are added challenges instrinsic to senior year, with extra curricular activities, college applications and teachers. **

_... ... ... _

_"Gabriella, this scholarship is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Taylor exclaimed. _

_... ... ... _

_Kelsi was becoming desperate, turning to Gabriella. "Please tell me you're going to audition."_

_Gabriella bit her lip. "Ummm, well, I was thinking I wanted to. But, umm..."_

_"Without Troy she doesn't want to," Chad finished the sentence. _

_Gabriella sighed. "That is a very simplistic way of expressing it but... I guess."_

_Kelsi was looking close to tears. "I spent half my freaking summer writing this script for you guys!"_

_... ... ... _

"_How would you feel if I nominated you for class president?" Gabriella asked, crossing her fingers._

_... ... ... _

_"The playoffs are just weeks away, and here you are flunking out of school and getting yourself banned from basketball? What the hell is wrong with you?" Coach Bolton exclaimed. _

_... ... ... ... ... ... _

**Not to mention... **

_... ... ... _

"_Gabriella you keep talking about what Troy is thinking and feeling – how do you feel about it?"_

_Gabriella bit her lip. "How do you know when you're ready?"_

_Taylor thought for a moment. "You just... feel it. I can't explain it in any other way. It feels right."_

_Gabriella nodded. "I think... I think it's right. I mean… I'm not ready to go all the way, not just yet. But maybe soon. When we're together and he's kissing me… I always want more. Yesterday, I really really really wanted more. _

_... ... ... _

_The make out session afterwards was pretty hot," Troy added slyly. "But her mom walked in on it."_

"_Ouch."_

"_Yeah. It could have been worse. She didn't throw me out. She invited me to stay for dinner actually. I think she just wanted us to come downstairs," Troy mused._

"_You reckon it would have gone further if she hadn't walked in?"_

_Troy shrugged. "Dunno."_

"_Would you have tried something?_

"_Dunno."_

_Chad rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless."_

_... ... ... _

**All of this and more, coming from Pandora147 shortly, only here on fanfiction dot net! **

**If this sounds like it's up your alley and you want to motivate me to just start posting the damn thing instead of talking about it, I suggest that some reviewing loving might do the trick. I'm such a review whore. Speaking of reviews, my Chad/Taylor one shot went up so if you haven't already, go check it out and review please :-P  
**

**And on that note... this is me, signing out from _Play It My Way._ It was a blast. See you all _Someday_ soon! (how corny was that...) I'm gonna go hit complete now. Woo hoo!**

**-Pandora147 aka Dani xoxoxoxo**


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